Johnny Earl Dawkins Jr. is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the UCF men's basketball team. From 2008 to 2016, he was the head coach of Stanford. He was a two-time All-American and national player of the year as a senior in 1986 while at Duke from 1982 to 1986. Dawkins subsequently played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the San Antonio Spurs (1986–1989), Philadelphia 76ers (1989–1994), and Detroit Pistons (1994–1995). From 1998 to 2008, he served as an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, Duke.

The UCF Knights men's basketball team represents The University of Central Florida, located in unincorporated Orange County, Florida near Orlando, United States. UCF competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and as of the next college basketball season in 2023–24, the Big 12 Conference. The Knights play their home games in the Addition Financial Arena located on the university's main campus. They are coached by Johnny Dawkins who was hired in 2016.