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Guard Duo of Arturo Dean, Cayden Vasko Named UCF's Captains
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- Guard Duo of Arturo Dean, Cayden Vasko Named UCF's Captains
(IMAGN IMAGES/Reuters Connect)
As head coach Johnny Dawkins looks to earn back-to-back March Madness berths for the first time in his coaching career, UCF has reloaded once again.
Various transfers fill the roster alongside Riley Kugel , Carmelo Pacheco , and John Bol - the three Knights returners.
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On Monday, with the non-conference schedule around the corner, Dawkins announced his team captains.
Arturo Dean and Cayden Vasko, two transfer guards, were voted captains by the team, and will lead a strong backcourt unit.
Vasko, who spent last season with Wofford, is a very versatile and unique player.
At 6-foot-6, Vasko is a bigger guard with great court vision, serving as a facilitator and floor general.
Last year, he earned All-SoCon Third Team honors, led the Terriers in assists and had the second most steals on the team.
Vasko is a very efficient player with the ball, keeping it out of harms way.
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His assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.85 ranked fifth in the nation, which will be a big benefit to a UCF team that had the turnover bug at times during last season.
His availability has been an added skill, playing in all 95 games of his collegiate career, and cracking the starting five in 94 of them.
Entering the non-conference slate, it will be interesting to see which guards earn the starting nod in Dawkins' first five.
Dean is the likely starting point guard, providing the Knights with a veteran presence and experience playing in the Big 12.
Dean joined the team in last December, but it was too late in the season for him to participate.
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He joins UCF after two years at Florida International and one year at Oklahoma State.
During his 2023-24 season at FIU, Dean led all of Division I in steals (3.35 per game) before serving as a critical rotational guard for the Cowboys two seasons ago.
His 104 steals on the season with the Panthers still stands as a program record, while his career mark of 185 thefts ranks third all-time.
Dean is also joined by his younger brother, Mister Dean, who earned Big South Freshman of the Year when he played at USC Upstate and showed flashes of special scoring ability before getting hurt last season with Charleston.
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He is one of the more high-upside players on the team, and a guy that Dawkins is hoping to be able to develop over the coming years.
With Dean and Vasko anchoring a high-octane scoring backcourt, UCF has great guard depth entering the season.
