By Ben Hazel, Edited by John Weis
Quite often, the team that finishes atop the Big 12 regular-season standings is also the one whose coach takes home the league’s Coach of the Year award. Just look at the past two seasons, when Kelvin Sampson earned the honor after guiding his Houston Cougars to consecutive conference titles.
This year, Tommy Lloyd has the Arizona Wildcats positioned at the top of the standings at 14–2 in Big 12 play, two games clear of both Houston and Texas Tech Red Raiders, led by Grant McCasland.
Lloyd is certainly deserving of praise, and so is McCasland, as he’s steadied the ship despite losing star player JT Toppin.
But if this award truly recognizes the best coaching job — not simply the best team — then the clear choice for Big 12 Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year is Johnny Dawkins of our UCF Knights.
A Three-Horse Race — But One Clear Choice
Yes, this is a subjective award. And yes, Lloyd and McCasland have strong cases; after all, guiding a team to the top – or even near the top – of the Big 12 is never easy.
But what Coach Dawkins has accomplished this season goes beyond expectations — it shatters them.
In the preseason Big 12 media poll, UCF was projected to finish 14th, ahead of only Colorado and Arizona State. Optimism was scarce, even among Knights fans. The program had to replace nearly its entire roster, with every major contributor departing via graduation or the transfer portal.
Most teams facing that level of turnover brace for a rebuild year. Instead, UCF built a breakthrough season.
Shattering Preseason Predictions
Despite entering the year with one of the lowest NIL budgets in the conference, UCF currently sits sixth in the Big 12 standings. In a league widely regarded as the toughest and deepest conference in college basketball, that’s nothing short of remarkable.
In today’s era of NIL collectives and escalating roster investment, results typically mirror resources. Programs that spend more usually win more. Turnarounds of this magnitude — especially in a power conference — are exceedingly rare.
Yet here we are.
Even with last weekend’s setback against Baylor, the body of work remains impressive. The Knights have competed night in and night out in a conference known nationally for elite basketball.
Building Belief Without the Spotlight
UCF basketball rarely commands national headlines. The program doesn’t have the built-in basketball prestige of some conference peers. And unlike some schools, there isn’t a powerhouse football season drawing added attention or momentum.
Still, Dawkins has quietly constructed a culture built on belief, development, and resilience.
He’s known for ignoring outside noise, focusing instead on player growth and daily improvement. His even-keel demeanor — something that dates back to his playing days — has become a cornerstone of the program’s identity. Dawkins avoids social media, doesn’t chase headlines, and maintains a steady presence day in and day out.
That emotional discipline filters down to his team.
In a league filled with high expectations and high pressure, steadiness is a superpower.
Defining “Coach of the Year”
If Coach of the Year simply means “coach of the best team,” then history suggests the award will land with the regular-season champion.But if it means “coach who maximized his roster, overcame the longest odds, and delivered the most impressive turnaround,” then Johnny Dawkins stands alone.
He rebuilt an entire roster.
He defied a 14th-place preseason projection.
He did it with limited financial firepower.
And he elevated UCF into the national conversation in one of the sport’s toughest leagues.
That’s what I call Coach of the Year kind of coaching.