Courtesy: UCF Athletics

The UCF Basketball team announced the hiring of Ben Witherspoon as the new Special Assistant to head coach Johnny Dawkins. Former Knights’ Video Coordinator Jaycob Ammerman has been promoted as the new Director of Basketball Operations. 

Dawkins said he believes Witherspoon’s experience as a former head coach will prove vital to the Knights’ future success. 

“We couldn’t be happier to bring Ben on as part of our staff,” Dawkins said. “He brings a wealth of experience and drive, and the success he enjoyed as head coach at Dr. Phillips high school serves as a clear indicator of what he’s capable of and how he develops student-athletes. As my special assistant, Ben will be integral in our recruiting efforts, video scouting and more. We can’t wait to get started with him.” 

Witherspoon spent the last three years (2019-2022) as the men’s basketball head coach at the Dr. Phillips high school in Orlando. In his second season, Witherspoon led Dr. Phillips to their first state championship in program history, while finishing state runner-up in the following year (2021-22). 

The newly appointed Director of Basketball Operations, Jaycob Ammerman, spent the last several years as UCF’s Video Coordinator since 2016.  

Dawkins said he believes Ammerman earned this promotion, and the team will be in good hands because of it. 

“We’re proud to announce Jaycob’s move to become our Director of Basketball Operations,”  Dawkins said. “Jaycob has been a valuable member of my staff since I began here at UCF in 2016, and simply put, he earned this promotion. We’re excited to move forward with Jaycob as our Director of Operations, and we have complete confidence in his ability to handle the role and its responsibilities to our program.”