UCF Men's Basketball Retains Pair Of Centers

The UCF men's basketball team added a pair of big men to the group of Knights that are remaining in Orlando for the 2026-27 season on Wednesday.

Headlining the duo is the Knights' first starter to announce his return for next season: center John Bol. The program officially announced his return for his junior season on their social media accounts on Wednesday afternoon.

He’s back ⚡️| @JohnBol_7 pic.twitter.com/eJd3hs2lkb
— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) April 15, 2026

"Knight Nation, you all made this year so special," Bol wrote in a statement. "Your support has meant the world to me and I am excited for Year 2. Let's keep charging on."

Bol, a transfer from Ole Miss last offseason, averaged 5.9 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game last season. He also led the Knights with 35 blocks and a 71.7% field goal percentage in what was his first full season of college basketball after only playing for 69 minutes as a freshman with the Rebels. Even with his increase in minutes, however, his playing time still paled to that of the rest of the starting five, tallying at least 261 minutes fewer than them.

However, coach Johnny Dawkins had said multiple times that Bol's best basketball was still ahead of him, even as he showed signs of development.

"It's been fun watching him develop and grow," Dawkins said after UCF's game against Oklahoma State on March 3. "I mean, the young man's gotten better and better, but he has an unbelievable work ethic and he wants to be great. It's a great combination, the ability to work really hard and you have a goal in sight that you want to reach, and that's what John's been doing all season long, and that's why I think he's been improving throughout the year."

Bol is not going to be the only familiar 7-footer returning to the Knights' frontcourt next season, as fellow center Elijah Hulsewe announced he is also returning for the 2026-27 season via his Instagram story. After transferring from Bethune-Cookman and redshirting his first season in Orlando in 2024-25, Hulsewe made his UCF debut this past season. He took the court for 80 minutes across 17 games last season, with 47.5% of the playing time coming from an increase in his minutes in late February and March due to late-season injuries in the Knights' frontcourt.

However, Hulsewe's role on the squad goes beyond his ability to come in off the bench. With guard Poohpha Warakulnukroh entering the transfer portal, Hulsewe is going to be the Knights' longest-tenured player in 2026-27, going on his third season under Dawkins. Before the 2025-26 campaign began, Dawkins highlighted Warakulnukroh and Hulsewe's ability to convey how he wants a drill done, which he said saves time over him having to teach a drill from scratch to a squad of entirely new players.

Bol and Hulsewe are the third and fourth Knights to announce their return to UCF next season, joining guard Carmelo Pacheco and Arturo Dean.

UCF's remaining undecided players have until April 21 to decide if they wish to enter the transfer portal or not.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

The 2026-27 UCF Knights Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker

UCF Guard Declares For 2026 NBA Draft

Former UCF Center Considering Return To Orlando

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