This Player Is UCF Coach Johnny Dawkins' Secret Weapon
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Several UCF Knights men's basketball players have had their moments to shine during this 2025-26 season.
Four of the Knights' starting five have scoring averages in the double-digits, guard Riley Kugel and forward Jordan Burks are a danger to shoot a three off at any given moment, forward Jamichael Stillwell is one of the leading offensive rebounders in the Big 12 and a force in the paint, and guard Themus Fulks is at the head coordinating it all as one of the nation's top 20 in assists.
However, as loud as all four of these starters' contributions can be, coach Johnny Dawkins has said that the strength of the Knights is in their numbers, and no player embodies that strength more than forward Devan Cambridge.
Game time in Addition 💥 | @Bounceman35 pic.twitter.com/088C6yub4s
— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) January 3, 2026
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Cambridge is in his seventh year of college basketball after injuries plagued both of his last two seasons at Texas Tech. This season, he is looking to complete a full season for the first time since 2022-23. He has only been in the starting lineup once, but other than that game, he has been a contributor off the bench for the Knights, and he's been one of their best.
Dawkins has called Cambridge a "mismatched nightmare," a "jack of all trades," and the team's "glue guy." He functions less like a bench player and more like a sixth man, with minutes that surpass one of UCF's starters in center John Bol. He has 10 blocks, just one behind Bol for the team lead, is second on the team in rebounds behind Stillwell, and averages 6.1 points per game, the highest on the team excluding the main four starters.
While he might not get the time on the court like a Stillwell, Burks, Kugel or Fulks, Cambridge has made the most of it with quiet contributions that have contributed to UCF's cause, even if the game did not result in a win.
In UCF's win against Kansas, Cambridge took charge in the frontcourt during the second half, which is all he needed to score all eight of his points for the game, mostly by going 6-7 from the charity stripe, and pull down eight rebounds, the most by a Knight that evening.
In the Knights' loss to Oklahoma State, Cambridge, despite an increased load of minutes, was the only UCF player with a positive plus-minus for the evening, even if it was a one. He scored 11 points, going 5-5 from the free-throw line, and led the team with 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
3pt play from @Bounceman35
— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) January 7, 2026
Devan's got 11 pts pic.twitter.com/RfJT7AKhu4
Most recently, against Cincinnati, while Cambridge's raw stats may not stand out, just two points and two rebounds, he once again led the team in plus-minus, this time with an eight.
Talking with Marc Daniels on 96.9 The Game on Thursday, Cambridge said that he needed to show that he was "the same caliber player" from before he tore his ACL during the 2023-24 season. He talked about how, when speaking with Dawkins while he was in the transfer portal, the coach already had shots and summer workouts tailor-made for him, which let him know he had a vision for him.
"I just believed in him the same way he believed in me and, you know, it's been working out," Cambridge said.
The Knights next take the court in Manhattan, Kansas, as they take on Kansas State at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
Three Key Takeaways From UCF's Nail-Biter With Cincinnati
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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