UCF did right thing by giving Johnny Dawkins contract extension | Commentary
Running off at the typewriter …
Of course, basketball coach Johnny Dawkins deserves the short-term contract extension that UCF has offered him.
Knights athletic director Terry Mohajir absolutely did the right thing by giving Dawkins a reported two-year extension and a fighting chance to succeed in the brutally tough Big 12. If UCF shows progress in the next couple of seasons, Dawkins will get a longer and more lucrative extension. If the Knights struggle, then they aren’t on the hook for a multi-year zillion-dollar buyout if they have to part ways with Dawkins.
Dawkins’ first season in the Big 12 (17-16 overall, 7-11 in conference play) is actually comparable to that of football coach Gus Malzahn (6-7 overall, 3-6 in the Big 12), who also received a contract extension last season. The football team made a lower-tier bowl game and the basketball team made the NIT. Not great seasons by any means, but not too shabby for an inaugural season in a Power 5 league.
And you could certainly make a case that UCF’s basketball team had it tougher than the football team because the Big 12 is considered the toughest hoops conference in the country and isn’t nearly as formidable in football. In addition, even though Mohajir is trying to rapidly pour more resources into Dawkins’ program, UCF’s basketball budget — by most accounts — was dead last in the Big 12 and near the bottom in NIL spending.
Anybody who thought UCF would step into the Big 12 — in either football or basketball — and immediately become a championship contender was simply being delusional.
I believe Dawkins is a good basketball coach, but not even good basketball coaches can win consistently when their opponents have bigger budgets and better players. And to get those things, you need resources and money, which are two things Dawkins hasn’t had at his disposal over the years.
However, the Knights are finally starting to cash some of those Big 12 TV checks although they won’t get a full allotment of the conference’s revenue share until 2026. Even so, at least Dawkins will be more on an even playing field with some of his Big 12 brethren moving forward.
Mohajir made a sound decision by choosing stability over volatility. To build a program in the best conference in college basketball, switching coaches just for the sake of switching coaches is the worst thing you can do.
Johnny Dawkins can build a quality basketball program — as long as he is given time, investment and, of course, lots of NIL money! …
Short stuff: If you find any typos or misspelled words in this column, I’m blaming it on my interpreter. … I don’t know about you, but I love the NFL’s new XFL-style kickoff rule, which will make it safer for the players (less high-speed collisions) and more fun for the fans (more kickoff returns). However, there are some of my peeps on social media who aren’t enamored with the NFL’s player-safety movement. As Grumpy JT texted me Wednesday: “No helmet contact, no leading with the helmet, no horse-collar tackles, no hip-drop tackles, don’t hit the QB high and don’t hit the QB low. By 2030, you will need to cautiously approach your opponent and verbally convince them to lay down.” …
Even though Dec. 25 is on Wednesday this year, the NFL announced earlier this week that it will play two games on Christmas Day, thus commandeering a holiday that was once the NBA’s showcase. In the NBA’s eyes, the NFL truly is “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.” … With Wednesday being Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day, can anybody come up with a better one than “Dropkick Me, Jesus, Through the Goalposts of Life” by the great Bobby Bare? I didn’t think so. … Former Florida Gators running back Trevor Etienne transfers to Georgia and almost immediately gets arrested for DUI — Dawgs Under Influence. … Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin was asked earlier this week whether he believes the spring transfer portal window — set to open on April 16 — will be busier than in recent years. Replied Kiffin: “Obviously, because players can transfer multiple times. Here, again, just a really stupid system. But, hey, good for the players — maybe. It’s good for them financially. I don’t know that it’s really good for them that they can leave every time something goes wrong. They’re just gonna run no matter what.” …
It’s been a great week for the ACC — four teams in the Sweet 16 and zero lawsuits filed from a member institution trying to bail out. … For those old enough to remember the Brady Bunch sitcom, other schools in the Women’s NCAA Tournament must feel like Jan Brady lamenting big sister Marcia getting all of the attention. Jan: “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.” Other NCAA Tournament teams: “Caitlin, Caitlin, Caitlin.” … The $4.5 million question: Is Ippei Mizuhara, the banished former interpreter for L.A. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, actually just the fall guy who was placing bets for Ohtani himself? Said Pete Rose earlier this week: “Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I wish I’d have had an interpreter. I’d be scot-free.” … Did you see where Deion Sanders got defensive recently when USA Today pointed out how Sanders refuses to make recruiting visits to high schools or do in-home visits with recruits and their parents? Maybe Prime Time needs to change his name to Down Time. …
True story: Tim Tebow and his foundation teamed up with a nonprofit team of veteran commandos to evacuate dozens of orphans with disabilities from gang-torn Haiti. Yet another reason why Tebow will be president someday. … Kudos to former Orlando Magic player Domantas Sabonis, who set an NBA record earlier this week when he recorded his 54th-consecutive double-double. Bianchi, you idiot, Sabonis was never a member of the Magic! Au contraire, mon frère! Sabonis was a member of the Magic for a few minutes when Orlando drafted him 11th overall in 2016 and traded him to Oklahoma City on draft night along with Ersan İlyasova and Victor Oladipo for an over-the-hill Serge Ibaka. In hindsight, it was one of the worst trades in Magic history. … Controversial LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey has threatened legal action against The Washington Post for what she says is a “hit piece” article about her. One problem: The article has not even been published yet. As that great basketball analyst William Shakespeare once wrote: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” …
Last word: With Lady Gaga celebrating her 38th birthday Thursday, let us all try to live by the words of the iconic entertainer: “I want the world to be better because I was here.”