Duke All-Americans Scheyer, Dawkins to Meet as Head Coaches in Brotherhood Run Exhibition Game

Duke men’s basketball All-Americans Jon Scheyer and Johnny Dawkins will face off as head coaches when the Blue Devils host UCF in the Brotherhood Run exhibition game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

Dawkins, a 1996 Duke Athletics Hall of Fame inductee whose number 24 jersey was retired by Duke on Feb. 22, 1986, became the Blue Devils’ all-time leading scorer with 2,556 points during his standout career from 1982 to 1986, a record that held for two decades. As a senior team captain in 1986, Dawkins was named the National Player of the Year after averaging 20.2 points per game and guiding the Blue Devils to a then-NCAA record 37 wins. That historic season included ACC regular season and tournament championships, and the NCAA East Regional crown, culminating in a national title game appearance. A two-time consensus first-team All-American, Dawkins was also named Most Valuable Player of both the 1986 NCAA East Regional and the ACC Tournament.In the 1986 NBA Draft, Dawkins was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 10th overall pick. He went on to enjoy a nine-year NBA career, playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons.

Dawkins, a 2023 inductee into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, joined the Duke men’s basketball coaching staff in 1998. In a decade on the Blue Devil bench, he helped guide the program to seven ACC Tournament championships, three Final Four appearances and the 2001 NCAA title. He also served as associate head coach during Scheyer’s freshman and sophomore seasons at Duke.

“It means a lot to welcome Johnny Dawkins and UCF to Cameron for this exhibition,” said Scheyer. “Johnny is truly one of the pillars of Duke Basketball. His jersey hangs in the rafters, and his legacy is felt every day within our program. 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.”

Dawkins accepted his first collegiate head coaching position in 2008 at Stanford, where he spent eight seasons leading the Cardinal before taking over at UCF in 2016. Across 17 seasons as a head coach, his teams have compiled 324 wins and made 10 postseason appearances.

In 2019, Dawkins guided UCF to its first NCAA Tournament win, setting up a memorable second-round matchup against his alma mater. The Knights came within a point of an upset, falling to top-seeded Duke, 77-76, in Columbia, South Carolina — the only meeting between the two programs.

“It’s always special going back to Duke — it’s a place that shaped so much of who I am, both as a player and a person,” Dawkins said. “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.”