Navigating the Transfer Portal: A New Era for UCF Basketball

The landscape of college basketball is constantly evolving, with the transfer portal playing an increasingly significant role in team composition. UCF Basketball, under the guidance of its coaching staff, has actively utilized the transfer portal to reshape its roster, welcoming a mix of incoming and outgoing players. This article delves into the recent transfer activity surrounding the UCF basketball program, examining both the men's and women's teams, and exploring the implications of these changes.

Women's Basketball: A Roster Overhaul

Head coach Sytia Messer and her staff ushered in a new era of roster construction, welcoming in eight transfers and three freshmen to join a trio of returning pieces from last season's squad. The influx of new talent aims to bolster the team's competitiveness.

Key Additions

Kristol Ayson (Guard, Fifth Year, Tulsa): Ayson, a fifth-year guard from Tulsa, hopes to make an immediate impact in her last year of eligibility. Ayson led all Tulsa players in shooting percentage last year at 44 percent.
Jacorriah Bracey (Guard, Graduate, Southern Miss): Bracey is a graduate guard entering her first season playing outside The Magnolia State. Bracey came out of high school as a 5-star recruit and was named the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in 2020.
Logan Reed (Guard/Forward, Redshirt Freshman, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi): Reed comes to UCF after sitting out her lone year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Reed earned all-state honors in Texas after two stellar years in high school.
Kayanna Cox (Guard, Sophomore, SMU): Cox played one season at SMU before transferring to the Knights this season. She is a formidable defensive force and an efficient shooter, consistently using her speed to cause problems for opposition offenses. Cox earned an array of honors in high school, including an all-state selection, district MVP, and district blocker of the year.
Audreonia Benson (Guard, Junior, Pensacola State): Junior guard Audreonia Benson arrives at UCF after two years of juco ball at Pensacola State College. Benson operated with an impressive level of consistency, averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, two steals and 1.6 assists per game her freshman year.
Jasmynne Gibson (Forward, Sophomore, North Florida): The hometown hero Jasmynne Gibson returns to Orlando after averaging 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds at North Florida last year, securing a nod to the All-Atlantic Sun Freshman Team. Gibson attended Colonial High School, where she was part of one of the best teams in the state, making the state championship and scoring over 1,000 points throughout her career.
Savannah Scott (Center, Redshirt Sophomore, Auburn): The 6-4 Auburn transfer, Savannah Scott, looks to get back on the court after starting her college career hot, tallying 50 combined points in her first three games with Auburn. Scott started 19 games her freshman year and hopes to benefit from a change of scenery after redshirting her sophomore year.
Leah Harmon (Guard, Sophomore, Miami): Miami transfer and former five-star recruit Leah Harmon joins the Knights after primarily coming off the bench for the Hurricanes as a freshman. Harmon was the ninth-ranked point guard in the 2024 class, averaging 14.4 points, 4.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game at IMG Academy.

Men's Basketball: Roster Transformation Through the Portal

UCF Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins is expected to be active in the transfer portal to improve his roster. Last year, Dawkins signed nine transfers, highlighted by second-team all-conference wing Keyshawn Hall. Dawkins, who has guided the Knights to one NCAA Tournament berth in his nine seasons in charge, will be under pressure to deliver results. His contract for the following season is not guaranteed, according to an executive summary submitted by UCF Athletics to USA TODAY.

Incoming Transfers (2025-2026 Season)

Riley Kugel (Guard, Senior, Mississippi State): Kugel started Mississippi State's final nine games before the NCAA Tournament and had a handful of quality performances against good opposition - 21 points against Ole Miss, and 19 versus Memphis. The Dr. Phillips grad played the previous two seasons at Florida, and has consistently averaged around nine points, three rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal per game across his college career.
Jordan Burks (Forward, Junior, Georgetown): Burks started each of the Hoyas' final nine games, averaging 10.4 points and notching double-doubles against Marquette and Washington State. A consensus top-200 national recruit among the 2023 graduating class, Burks spent his freshman year at Kentucky. He suited up 20 times for the Wildcats, highlighted by a 6-of-6 shooting day against Vanderbilt in which he had 13 points and five rebounds.
George Beale Jr. (Guard, Senior, Hampton): Beale, who played two seasons at Norfolk State, set career-highs in 3-point field goals, attempts and percentage as a junior. He opened February with his best scoring performance to date, lighting up Howard for 28 points in an overtime victory. Hampton reached the semifinal round of the Coastal Athletic Association's postseason tournament.
Themus Fulks (Guard, Fifth Year, Milwaukee): All-Horizon League second-team point guard Fulks had a handful of power-conference suitors and chose the Knights over Boston College, Georgetown, Kansas State and Wake Forest. In a head-to-head matchup with UCF last November, Fulks totaled 13 points, six assists and three steals. He ranked 22nd nationally in assists per game, and he has NCAA Tournament experience, dishing out 11 assists for Louisiana two years ago in a near-upset of Tennessee.
John Bol (Forward, Sophomore, Ole Miss): The No. 57 player in the 2024 recruiting class per 247Sports' composite rankings, McDonald's All-American Bol chose Ole Miss over Florida, Michigan and Missouri. He nearly averaged a double-double in his final year with Overtime Elite (10.6 points, 9.9 rebounds), in addition to swatting nearly two shots per game. Adam Finkelstein, of 247Sports, regarded Bol as one of the top frontcourt defenders in his graduating class due to his combination of length, mobility, vertical bounce and quick-twitch rim protection.
Jamichael Stillwell (Forward, Senior, Milwaukee): Stillwell, who played two seasons of JUCO ball before enrolling at Milwaukee, became the program's first player ever to average a double-double across an entire season. The All-Horizon League first-team selection had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 12 boards (four on the offensive glass) in a late November loss at UCF. Rebounding proved a significant area of weakness for the Knights last season, ranking 281st in Division with a -2.0 margin per game.
Jeremy Foumena (Center, Redshirt Junior, Mississippi State): UCF recruited Foumena when he attended Orangeville Prep, the Toronto-area academy that developed, among several NBA players, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Ultimately, he signed with Rhode Island, where he averaged 5.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks as a redshirt freshman. Injuries limited Foumena to just nine games at Mississippi State; he played 26 minutes and scored 10 points. Though born in Canada, Foumena grew up in France, where two of his uncles played professional basketball.
BJ Freeman (Guard, Senior, Arizona State): This is a bit of a high-risk, high-reward move for Dawkins and his staff. Freeman averaged 13.7 points per game and surpassed double digits 20 times for the Sun Devils, including a season-high 26 points against UCF in January. However, Freeman was ejected twice during Big 12 play, suspended for another contest and then kicked off the team for detrimental conduct. The year before, Freeman earned All-Horizon League second-team honors by scoring 21.1 points per game at Milwaukee, the third-highest, single-season average in program history.
Carmelo Pacheco (Guard, Junior, Mount St. Mary's): Pacheco finished the 2024-25 season as one of the nation's best long-range marksmen; only three qualified players in Division I shot better from 3-point range than his 46.4%. He missed Mount St. Mary's final three games, including NCAA Tournament matchups against American (First Four) and Duke (opening round), due to a finger injury. As a freshman, Pacheco knocked down 43.5% of his 3-point attempts for D-II UVA Wise.
Kris Parker (Guard, Redshirt Sophomore, Villanova): UCF recruited Parker out of high school at Crossroad Academy, but the four-star prospect signed with Alabama. After a redshirt year there, he transferred to Villanova for one season. The guard appeared in 27 games off the bench, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds. He notched a season-high 11 points in a January blowout of DePaul. Parker played two minutes against UCF in the College Basketball Crown semifinals.
Devan Cambridge (Forward, Graduate Student, Texas Tech): Injuries limited Cambridge to just 12 games (eight starts) over the past two seasons at Texas Tech. He was an efficient scorer for the Red Raiders in that time, making 35 of 62 field goals (56.5%). Cambridge will play his seventh season of college basketball, spending three at Auburn and another as a near-every-game starter at Arizona State. He has scored 1,016 career points in 141 games, adding 536 rebounds (203 on the offensive glass).
Arturo Dean (Guard, Junior, Oklahoma State): Dean started 21 of the 37 games he played for the Cowboys last season, his only one in Stillwater. He averaged 7.6 points and 3.1 rebounds, went 64-93 from the free-throw line and recorded 116 assists. He also recorded 84 steals, just one more than UCF's own Darius Johnson, ranking sixth in the nation and leading the Big 12.
Christian Gibson (Guard, Freshman, Tennessee Collegiate Academy): Gibson is rated as a four-star by 247Sports. His 247Sports composite score, 0.9768, would make him the second-highest rated recruit in Knights history, only coming behind the now-Cincinnati Bearcat Moustapha Thiam last season. Gibson also ranks No. 58 overall on the ESPN100 list, a Top 10 shooting guard of the 2026 class, and the second-highest rated prospect out of the state of Tennessee. He is coming off a Nike Elite Youth Basketball League in which he averaged 21.5 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Outgoing Transfers (2025-2026 Season)

Nils Machowski (Guard, Sophomore, Wofford): The German guard saw an expanded role in March, playing 19-plus minutes in the Knights' last four games and scoring eight points apiece in Big 12 Tournament contests against Utah and Kansas. Machowski matched a career-high with 13 points in a loss at Colorado, making all five of his field goal attempts and pulling down five defensive rebounds.
Jaylin Sellers (Guard, Senior, Providence): Sellers suffered an undisclosed back injury during UCF's preseason home game against Florida Gulf Coast, and only competed in three games - most recently a 99-48 loss to Kansas on Jan. 5. The season prior, the left-handed slashing guard earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention and led the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game.
Tyler Hendricks (Guard, Sophomore, Utah Valley): He made more of an impact in the rotation near the end of Big 12 Conference play, chipping in seven points in a home win over Utah. Taylor Hendricks, Tyler's brother, became the Knights' first NBA first-round pick in 2023 - going ninth overall to the Utah Jazz.
Mikey Williams (Guard, Redshirt Freshman, Sacramento State): Williams missed the first 10 games of the season with a foot injury, and the final five after dislocating his knee in practice. A consensus top-100 recruit and a social media sensation in high school, Williams signed with Memphis but never played after a non-injury shooting arrest. He had 14 points apiece against Iowa State and Oklahoma State during the Knights' seven-game losing streak. He logged at least 23 minutes in four of his final five appearances during his redshirt freshman season.
Rokas Jocius (Forward, Junior, Loyola Marymount): Jocius did not participate in UCF's final seven games of the season. He topped double figures once, scoring 10 points in a triple-overtime defeat to LSU at The Greenbrier Tip-Off.
Cameron Simpson (Guard, Freshman, Texas State): Signed from nearby Oak Ridge High School, Simpson redshirted the 2024-25 season.
Keyshawn Hall (Forward, Junior, Auburn): Hall led the Big 12 in scoring last season. If he does transfer to a different school, it will be his fourth program in four years. He made one-year stops at UNLV and George Mason before his season at UCF.
JJ Taylor (Forward, Sophomore, Northern Illinois): Teammates with Mikey Williams in high school and at Memphis before teaming up again at UCF, Taylor showed real potential in his debut appearance with 10 points, two blocks and two steals in an upset home win over Texas A&M. He was a valuable contributor off Dawkins' bench, averaging 13.8 minutes per game on the wing.

The "Second Chance" Narrative

UCF Basketball has gained attention for offering opportunities to players with troubled pasts, particularly those with criminal backgrounds. This approach has allowed the program to acquire high-potential talents who may have been overlooked by other schools.

High-Profile Transfers with Legal Issues

Mikey Williams: Once a top high school prospect and social media sensation, Williams's career was derailed by an arrest for allegedly shooting at a vehicle. He reached a plea deal, avoiding a lengthy prison sentence, and sought a fresh start at UCF.
Dior Johnson: Another former five-star recruit, Johnson's collegiate career was delayed due to charges of assault, unlawful restraint, and strangulation. He ultimately pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts and received probation, leading to his dismissal from Pitt.

Dawkins' Perspective on Second Chances

Head Coach Johnny Dawkins has openly supported UCF's decision to provide Williams and Johnson with a shot at redemption, stressing the importance of giving young athletes second chances. He believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and rebuild their lives.

Public Reaction and Expectations

UCF's approach to recruiting players with checkered pasts has drawn mixed reactions. Some critics argue that the program is overlooking accountability, while others believe in the possibility of redemption and appreciate the second-chance narrative. Despite the controversy, fan optimism remains high, as evidenced by increased season ticket sales.

Read also: Northern Kentucky Basketball

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