UCF Men's Basketball Adds Former Wofford Guard From Transfer Portal
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The UCF Knights men's basketball team officially added its first guard from the transfer portal early Monday afternoon.
Cayden Vasko, who has one year of eligibility remaining after two seasons at Central Michigan and coming off one with Wofford, is the first transfer portal addition that the program has officially acknowledged on its social media through a repost on X, though it is the second to be reported.
Forever grateful! pic.twitter.com/GwjADhh3bC
— Cayden Vasko (@caydenvasko_) April 13, 2026
Vasko started all 32 games he played with the Terriers last season and was named All-SoCon Third Team for his efforts. He averaged 10.4 points per game, the third-highest on the team, and 4.5 rebounds per game, the fourth-highest on the team. He also racked up 131 assists, averaging 4.1 per game.
With the departures of Themus Fulks and Riley Kugel due to graduation, plus Chris Johnson's departure from the transfer portal, the Knights need to rebuild their backcourt for the 2026-27 season. Carmelo Pacheco may be confirmed to return, but he served as a three-point specialist off the bench, not really fitting the profile of a point guard. Vasko, on the other hand, does.
Last offseason, Fulks stood out in the portal thanks to coming off a season with Milwaukee in which he finished in the top 30 in the nation in assists. Vasko is different, finishing 151st in the nation and fifth in his conference in assists per game. However, he is one of the nation's leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, finishing with the fifth-highest in the nation this past season.
The Knights finished outside the Top 10 in the Big 12 in turnover margin and turnovers per game last season, even finishing outside the Top 200 in the nation when it comes to the former. With the addition of Vasko, coach Johnny Dawkins can balance having the unselfish offense that helped take his squad to the NCAA Tournament last season while minimizing turnovers that proved costly down the stretch.
There is also Vasko's ability at the glass. Last season's highest rebounding average by a guard for UCF was Riley Kugel at 3.1 per game, but he never had a rebounding average higher than 3.5 per game his entire career. Vasko averaged 4.5 per game last season with Wofford, where he happened to be teammates with former UCF guard Nils Machowski, and 5.0 per game in his last season with Central Michigan.
Vasko's 6-feet-6-inch frame puts him at the same height as forward Devan Cambridge, who brought in 117 rebounds in just 573 minutes on the court last season. So, while Vasko might not be a main source of rebounds, he could provide support at the glass.
This versatility, plus how early Vasko was added to the team in this transfer portal cycle, makes it unclear if he is going to take over the starting point guard role like Fulks, or be a weapon off the bench like Johnson or Cambridge. He has the experience as a starting guard for a full season, but his versatility and reliable ball security could provide relief should the Knights get off to a slow start.
Vasko's role on the Knights is set to become clearer as their roster materializes over this transfer portal cycle. The transfer portal window is still set to remain open through April 21.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
The 2026-27 UCF Knights Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
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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