UCF basketball rebuilds around mainstay Darius Johnson

While UCF has seen its men’s roster undergo sweeping changes over the past two seasons — 19 new players — the one constant has been point guard Darius Johnson . Johnson has appeared in 88 games for the Knights during the past three seasons.

Johnson and fellow guard Jaylin Sellers are cornerstones for the Knights’ plans heading into the second season in the Big 12 .

“It’s very important to have two guards returning who were honorable mentions, all-conference players in a Big 12,” coach Johnny Dawkins told the Sentinel. “These guys know what to expect in the conference, so we have a rallying point with all the new players we’re bringing in from all over the place. Having that is a great asset.”

UCF brought in nine newcomers, highlighted by seven transfers led by Jordan Ivy-Curry (UTSA), JJ Taylor (Memphis), Keyshawn Hall (George Mason), Benny Williams (Syracuse), Dallan Coleman (Georgia Tech), Rokas Jocius (La Salle) and Elijah Hulsewe (Bethune-Cookman) as well as high school signees Cameron Simpson (Oak Ridge High) and Moustapha Thiam (DME Academy).

“The guys who have come in have been great,” Dawkins said of the latest additions. “They’ve been listening and taking in as much information from those players as possible, which is what we want them to grow and get better faster.”

UCF finished with a 17-16 last season, including 7-11 in the Big 12. While a 12th-place finish wasn’t ideal, it was better than most assumed after the Knights were tabbed to finish last in preseason polls.

Dawkins’ team defeated three ranked teams for the first time in program history and qualified for the NIT , its fourth postseason appearance since 2016-17.

In his first season in the Big 12, Johnson finished in the top 15 in scoring (15.2 points), assists (3.7), and minutes played (32.6).

His field-goal shooting improved each season, going from 33% as a freshman to 39% as a sophomore and 41% as a junior, including a career-high 39% from 3 last season.

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“I was really proud of him last year,” said Dawkins. “He made a jump in his game under the most challenging situations. Here you are, the point guard, going into the Big 12, so you’re going against some of the best point guards in the country night in and night out and he did an excellent job of staying composed and leading our team.”

Johnson scored in double digits in all but three conference games and scored 20 or more points in five of the 18 games. Seven of the Knights’ 11 league losses were by single digits, including losses by 2 to BYU and Cincinnati.

He scored 30 points twice in the final four games, including a career-high 33 points in a loss to BYU in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

“He was playing his best basketball down the stretch,” said Dawkins. “In some games of our signature wins and on-the-road wins down the stretch, he was the best guard on the floor and that’s exciting if he can just build on that.

“I want to see him continue to grow and improve as a point guard and player. I want to see him continue to lead. He can build on the leadership from last year. He was leading as a junior and one of my captains and as a senior, he’ll be a captain again.”

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com