Four-Star Guard Commits To UCF
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The UCF Knights Men's Basketball team gained a verbal commitment from shooting guard Christian Gibson on Sept. 20, according to a post from Gibson on X, formerly known as Twitter.
I'm excited to announce my COMMITMENT to The University of Central Florida! ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/MqLRbhDGXN
— Christian Gibson (@ChristianGib05) September 21, 2025
The announcement came one day after Gibson's official visit to campus, one of only two official visits he had scheduled with the other being to St. Louis set for Oct. 9. He was one of three four-star recruits that scheduled official visits to Orlando in September, but he was the only one that ended up committing to the Knights.
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. He also recorded 14 steals, 26 assists and 46 of 57 from the free-throw line in his 14 games of action.
A native of Houston, Texas, Gibson stayed in his hometown for his first three seasons of high school basketball at Mayde Creek High School, but transferred to Tennessee Collegiate Academy in July.
Tennessee Collegiate Academy is heading into its first season in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League alongside Central Florida-based Montverde Academy. It actually bookends its regular season with trips to Montverde, first playing in the Sunshine Classic hosted there to begin its season from Dec. 5-7 and then returning to face Montverde Academy itself on Feb. 27.
UCF Coach Johnny Dawkins Will Face Alma Mater in 2025
The UCF Men's Basketball team will take on the Duke Blue Devils in the latter's Brotherhood Run exhibition game, both programs announced Thursday.
The game, slated for Oct. 21 in Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, will mark UCF coach Johnny Dawkins' first game as a coach in Cameron Indoor Stadium since he left the Blue Devils staff to take the Stanford head job in 2008.
“It’s always special going back to Duke,” Dawkins said in the joint announcement. ”It’s a place that shaped so much of who I am, both as a player and a person. To have the opportunity to bring our UCF team there, to compete in that environment and be part of something meaningful, is an honor."
"It’s not just about basketball — it’s about giving back to the game and continuing the relationships that helped build my foundation.”
Dawkins, whose No. 24 from his playing days at Duke was retired by the school in 1986, has only faced his alma mater twice as a coach, once with Stanford in the 2014 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and once with the Knights in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
"His jersey hangs in the rafters, and his legacy is felt every day within our program," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in the announcement. "I had the privilege of playing my first two years here with him on the coaching staff, and I learned so much from the way he leads with integrity and humility. This game will be a great test for both teams as we gear up for the season and we get a chance to play in front of our fans in Cameron."
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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