DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — For the second year in a row, two former Duke men’s basketball stars will face off as head coaches in an exhibition game.
On Thursday, the school’s athletic department announced that the Blue Devils will host the University of Central Florida — led by 1996 Duke Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Dawkins — in this year’s Brotherhood Run exhibition game. It will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Dawkins played for the Blue Devils from 1982 to 1986, becoming what was then the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,556 points until J.J. Redick surpassed him during his 2002 to 2006 career in Durham. Following his senior season in 1986, Dawkins was named the National Player of the Year, among other accolades. He was then drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 10 pick in the 1986 NBA Draft and played nine years in the league with three teams.
Duke retired Dawkins’ No. 24 jersey, and in addition to being in the school’s Hall of Fame, he was also inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Dawkins’ coaching career began in 1998 as a member of the Blue Devils’ staff. During his 10-year tenure in Durham, Duke won the 2001 NCAA Championship. He was also an associate head coach during current Blue Devils’ head coach Jon Scheyer’s freshman and sophomore years before accepting the head coaching position at Stanford in 2008. After eight seasons there, he took the helm at UCF in 2016.
“It means a lot to welcome Johnny Dawkins and UCF to Cameron for this exhibition,” Scheyer said. “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.”
Seventeen years after leaving Durham, Dawkins is looking forward to returning to Cameron Indoor.
“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.”
This year’s Duke-UCF exhibition matchup follows last year’s Brotherhood Run charity game between the Blue Devils and the Arizona State Sun Devils, who are led by another Bobby Hurley, another former Duke basketball star. Proceeds from that game benefited Duke Children’s Hospital.
Ticket information and other details for this year’s Brotherhood Run exhibition game will be released at a later date. Requests for tickets for this year’s Duke men’s basketball season can be made on the school’s athletics website.