Themus Fulks discusses UCF fit, BYU win and NCAA Tournament push on UCFast Cast
UCF point guard Themus Fulks joined football players Waden Charles and Duane Thomas Jr. on the latest episode of the UCFast Cast, offering insight into his journey to Orlando, the Knights’ late-season push and the chemistry that has helped fuel UCF’s NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Knights are 20-8 overall and 9-7 in the Big 12, with Fulks playing a major role in that success. The senior ranks second in the Big 12 and ninth nationally at 7.0 assists per game, and he is one of only two conference players with at least six games of 10 or more assists. He also ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game.
The podcast was recorded after UCF’s 97-84 road win at then-No. 19 BYU, a game in which Fulks dished out 11 assists and broke the program’s single-season assist record. He now sits at 184 assists and counting.
Fulks is finishing his college career at UCF after stops at South Carolina State, Dodge City Community College, Louisiana-Lafayette and Milwaukee, where he was teammates with current Knight Jamichael Stillwell. Milwaukee played at UCF in November 2024, and that trip left an impression that played a role in his transfer decision.
“We played UCF midway through the season,” Fulks said. “After the game, I was just looking around. I saw the palm trees, I saw the atmosphere, and I was like, ‘I can see myself here.’ I kind of followed UCF after that. I followed Darius Johnson. I liked his style of play. It all just made sense to me.”
Charles and Thomas asked Fulks about one of the biggest challenges both the football and basketball teams have faced in the modern transfer portal era: building chemistry with so many new faces. That was certainly the case for the basketball team, which was rebuilt almost entirely through newcomers.
“Man, it wasn’t easy,” Fulks said. “We had our bumps in the road in the summertime. Coach likes to call it ‘storming.’ We were storming in the summertime. But as the season has gone on, it really hasn’t been about roles as much as it’s been about trusting each other. I feel like now we’re really starting to trust each other. The coaches have done a good job of making us believe, and we believe we can do something special.”
Fulks also reflected on the significance of UCF’s recent win at BYU, one of the program’s best victories of the season.
“We treated it like a championship game,” Fulks said. “We knew how big that game was for what we want to do this season. We knew BYU had a really good team, and we felt like it was a chance to show people who we are. There’s a lot of hype around us, but not everybody believes the way we believe. I felt like we went in there with the right mindset, shots were falling, we had a really good game plan, and we took care of business.”
He also described the atmosphere inside the Marriott Center, which drew a crowd of roughly 18,000.
“The BYU student section was talking crazy,” Fulks said with a laugh. “But after the game, it was pretty cool. I told them that. They had about 18,000 in there, and it was packed. We talked to them a little bit, then went back to the locker room. Coach was happy, the team was happy, but we know there’s still unfinished business. We’ve got to finish the right way.”
That led to a funny exchange with Charles and Thomas, who played at BYU during football season and were both struck by how friendly the crowd was compared to what they expected.
“They were going to the Big 12 Championship and we were like, ‘Yeah, they’re going to be talking crazy,’” Thomas said. “Then we walk in and they’re like, ‘Hey, how you doing? Welcome to BYU. Welcome to Utah.’ They’ve got some really good people. They definitely show up and support their team, but the crowd wasn’t super hostile.”
Charles agreed.
“It’s crazy you said that, because I’m thinking back to the game and I’m like, bro, we walked in thinking it was going to be hostile,” Charles said. “Instead they were like, ‘Hey, how you doing?’”
The football players weren’t aware of Johnny Dawkins’ background as a college superstar and NBA player, so Fulks filled them in.
“Coach Dawkins is a Duke legend, for real,” Fulks said. “He went to Duke, broke records, had his jersey in the rafters and then played in the league. In college, he was more of a combo guard, but in the NBA he transitioned more into being a point guard. That’s good for me because I’m a point guard, so he’s able to cater to me and relate to me. He can really relate to us in all aspects, on the court and off the court.”
Fulks was also asked to describe his own game.
“I just try to make plays,” he said. “I feel like I can score and I feel like I can pass, so teams can only take away so much. They can either try to take away my scoring or take away my passing. Whatever I can do to help the team win — score, pass, play defense — that’s what I’m going to do.”
Fulks also shared some background from his high school days, saying he was a football standout at North Davidson High School in Winston-Salem, N.C. He joked that he was “Travis Hunter before Travis Hunter,” playing both wide receiver and defensive back while also returning kicks. As a senior, he helped lead his team to a 13-3 record and a trip to the North Carolina 2A state championship game.
Though he admitted he never loved getting hit, Fulks said he believes he could have played college football.
The episode ended with a rapid-fire segment, where Fulks gave quick answers about his teammates and himself:
Which basketball player could join the football team? Riley Kugel.
Who are you cooking in practice? Everybody.
Strongest player on the team? Jamichael Stillwell.
Best handles on the team that’s not you? Jordan Burks.
LeBron or Jordan? Michael Jordan.
Fastest player on the team? Me.
Best shooter? Jordan Burks or Carmelo Pacheco.
What football position would you play? Quarterback.
Best defender on the team? Jamichael Stillwell.
Who’s always open? Me.
Who’s the best gamer? Jeremy Foumena.
Pre-game song? Anything by Lil Durk.
Who do you trust the most on the aux? Jamichael Stillwell.
Who do you trust least with the aux? Elijah Hulsewe.
Funniest teammate? Chris Johnson.
Best drip? Jeremy Foumena.
Who’s late the most? Riley Kugel.
Who cooks the best? Devan Cambridge.
Who’s always on their phone? Everybody.
Most competitive? Everybody.
Most likely to go viral? Tanner Jones.
Worst group chat member? George Beale.
Who talks the most trash? Jamichael Stilwell.
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