UCF coach to sobbing players: 'We always said it's going to end in two ways ... celebrating or crying'
Take one peak inside the University of Central Florida’s locker room after the team’s heartbreaking one-point loss to Duke on Sunday night, and you’d understand just how invested the players are in their team.
Coach Johnny Dawkins, choking back tears himself, addressed his team after with cameras rolling all the while.
“We always said it’s going to end in two ways ... it’s going to end celebrating, or we’re going to end crying, we’re in tears,” Dawkins said. “That’s because we invested – like I said before – so much in each other, and in what we were doing.”
“I know this is going to hurt – it’s going to hurt for a while, we’ve been here before, the same thing.”
As he’s speaking, you can hear players sobbing near the camera. You later see a number of players, particularly the senior class, including 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall, sobbing as the team groups up for a cheer.
“We end in tears...that’s because we’ve invested so much in each other.
I love you guys. It’s been amazing coaching this group.” -@Coach_Dawkins pic.twitter.com/B58DbNZzWO— UCF Men’s Hoops #GKMO (@UCF_MBB) March 25, 2019
Duke held on to beat UCF 77-76 after two UCF attempts in the final five seconds came extremely close to going in. Time seemed to stop as Aubrey Dawkins’ put-back rolled painstakingly around the rim before Duke’s Zion Williamson swatted it down, and the game came to an end.
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