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Fall 2016

Excerpt from video interview

Coach Dawkins: How did basketball become a passion?

Coach Abe: My mother really wanted me to be a swimmer, but my dad saw I was getting tall, so he shot basketballs with me. I swam in high school and won state championships, but my father passed away when I was about 12 so I wanted to continue [playing basketball] for him. I played in high school and because I was 6’3″ and super strong, I started getting recruited by a lot of schools, so I had to pick between swimming and basketball. We didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have the money to send me to college, so through basketball, I got to go to school for free, and that was huge.

Coach Dawkins: I got into basketball at an early age. My father and his brothers would go out and play pickup ball quite a bit, and I was always intrigued by these great stories about what they accomplished. I just wanted to get involved, so on those Saturday mornings, I would literally go sleep downstairs in front of the door so they couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 leave without me, and then I was able to go see them compete, and I just became more fascinated by the game. I love to compete, and it just kind of grew from there.

Coach Abe: Why did you become a coach?

Coach Dawkins: I 麻豆精品 S檝e always loved this game. I started playing at an early age and was able to have success, which was great. I realized how fortunate I was. Coaching was a way for me to give back to the game. It 麻豆精品 S檚 my way of saying thanks to all the coaches that came along in my career to help motivate me, not just in how I shot the basketball or defended it, but in the type of person I became. Coaches play an instrumental role in young people becoming great citizens, not just terrific basketball players. Now, the story of how I actually made the transition is kind of interesting. I was at Duke University studying to be an athletic director and about six months into the program, Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] came to me and said, 麻豆精品 S淗ey, Johnny, you ever think about coaching? 麻豆精品 S� As you know, when someone 麻豆精品 S檚 coaching you, they 麻豆精品 S檙e your coach for life, and so I said, 麻豆精品 S淲ell I guess I 麻豆精品 S檓 coaching now. 麻豆精品 S� I transitioned pretty much that week to coaching, and I 麻豆精品 S檓 just happy he saw that in me because now that I 麻豆精品 S檓 in this profession, I can see how much I can affect young people 麻豆精品 S檚 lives.

Coach Abe: Besides Coach K, who 麻豆精品 S檚 your biggest role model?

Coach Dawkins: My father. [He] started me off playing basketball. I really [paid attention to] what he showed me on the basketball court [and] his work ethic. My father has gone through a lot. He was a Washington, D.C., bus driver in the 麻豆精品 S�70s and 麻豆精品 S�80s. He was military, a Green Beret, so [it was] a little disciplined in our household, and I appreciate everything he taught me.

Coach Dawkins: What got you into coaching?

Coach Abe: It 麻豆精品 S檚 funny because I went to Duquesne University to get my master 麻豆精品 S檚 [degree] because I wanted to be an athletic director. I wanted to stay in sports, but I did not want to be a coach. Most of us who have played the game at a high level don 麻豆精品 S檛 want to coach because we see what our coaches go through. But I felt like a lot of young women weren 麻豆精品 S檛 very empowered, and I could see they didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have a lot of great role models as women. When I got into [coaching], I found that I could really empower these young women and try to help them academically and [athletically]. I really wanted to give back. It 麻豆精品 S檚 not about the wow factor or being on TV or about you or me. It 麻豆精品 S檚 about these young people.

Coach Dawkins: Absolutely. Talk about your core values for your program.

Coach Abe: Number one 麻豆精品 S� family first. And that 麻豆精品 S檚 not my family 麻豆精品 S� it 麻豆精品 S檚 the university family, it 麻豆精品 S檚 the Athletics Department family. It 麻豆精品 S檚 our women 麻豆精品 S檚 basketball family. I try to lead that way in terms of how [my team] views themselves. 麻豆精品 is second, and basketball is third.

Coach Abe: Why did you pick UCF?

Coach Dawkins: It wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 difficult to choose UCF, to be quite frank. The potential this university has 麻豆精品 S� I 麻豆精品 S檝e watched it from afar, and it has everything. This place was built for success, and I mean built to win. And I don 麻豆精品 S檛 mean just in our sport, but it 麻豆精品 S檚 built to win in everything 麻豆精品 S� academically, athletically. What 麻豆精品 S檚 not to like? It 麻豆精品 S檚 in a beautiful location in Florida. The people here have been amazing. The community is behind the programs. 麻豆精品 S� It 麻豆精品 S檚 a place where you can really leave your legacy. For a coach like me, those are things I look forward to. If anybody 麻豆精品 S檚 ever watched my career, I don 麻豆精品 S檛 jump from place to place. I like to make a place my home, and I think that can happen because I really believe in what I think we can accomplish here.

Coach Dawkins: How about you, coach?

Coach Abe: I found out you were coming [to UCF], so I had to come so I could work with you. To be honest, it 麻豆精品 S檚 the exact same reasons that you [mentioned]. I 麻豆精品 S檝e always wanted to live in Florida, so when I got the call, I was really intrigued. There 麻豆精品 S檚 so much new energy. I talked to some of my role models, and Joanne McCallie at Duke said, 麻豆精品 S淵ou have to work with [Dawson]. 麻豆精品 S� I 麻豆精品 S檓 going to sneak in and watch some of your practices 麻豆精品 S� I want to learn from you.

Coach Abe: How do you motivate your players, and how do they motivate you?

Coach Dawkins: One, I think we try to live what we do. When student-athletes see adults do things the right way, they want to emulate that, so I think that 麻豆精品 S檚 a motivation. 麻豆精品 S� If you 麻豆精品 S檙e thinking of tactical motivation, we 麻豆精品 S檝e had amazing guest speakers, such as the Navy SEALs, come in and [talk to our student-athletes about] some of the things they 麻豆精品 S檝e gone through. I 麻豆精品 S檓 really big about [instilling in players that] in this life and in this game of basketball, it 麻豆精品 S檚 about getting outside your comfort zone.

They motivate me every day. 麻豆精品 S� You don 麻豆精品 S檛 become a student-athlete here without earning it. You earn it not just because you are a good basketball player but because of what you 麻豆精品 S檝e done in the classroom. 麻豆精品 S� It 麻豆精品 S檚 difficult to do all the things they do and to live up to everyone 麻豆精品 S檚 expectations, and so that really motivates me.

Coach Dawkins: How do you determine student-athlete success?

Coach Abe: For me, it 麻豆精品 S檚 making sure they 麻豆精品 S檙e empowered when they graduate. I want them to be able to leave this university with a lot of apples in their basket, and not just [having come] to UCF and played basketball. 麻豆精品 S� We do a lot of mentoring for our young women on 麻豆精品 S淲hat are you going to do the next 55 years of your life? 麻豆精品 S� It 麻豆精品 S檚 not just these four years. How are we going to use this great university to propel you into your future? I want them prepared for life. That 麻豆精品 S檚 success to me.

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