When Themus Fulks was searching for the next step in his college basketball journey, it didn’t take long for the 6-foot-2 guard to realize that UCF was the perfect fit. Fulks’ basketball path had taken him across the country, with stops at South Carolina State, Dodge City Community College, Louisiana, and most recently Milwaukee.
It was during his time with the Panthers last season that Fulks got his first glimpse of what life could be like playing for the Knights. On November 27, Milwaukee faced UCF in a non-conference matchup, with the Knights ultimately claiming an 84-76 victory. Fulks contributed 13 points and 6 assists over 34 minutes of play.
However, it was the vibrant atmosphere of Addition Financial Arena—complete with enthusiastic fans waving palm fronds in the student section—that made a lasting impression on him. “I thought I could see myself playing here,” Fulks told the Sentinel in October. “I loved Orlando. I loved the facilities, I loved the environment, and the crowd was into it.”
Fulks went on to average a career-high 14.6 points and a team-high 5.9 assists for Milwaukee as the Panthers finished 21-11, securing second place in the Horizon League behind Robert Morris. After the season, he entered the transfer portal and made his first official visit to UCF.
“When I came on my visit, it just felt family-oriented,” said Fulks. “I felt like I had an opportunity to be myself on the court and also have an opportunity to win. It’s my last year, so I want to go out with a bang, and I have a phenomenal coaching staff behind me.”
Joining a UCF roster that returned 0% of its scoring from the previous season and welcomed 13 newcomers, Fulks became an integral piece. The new group averaged more than 86 points per game last season, led by Fulks’ 14.6 points per game. Although he is averaging just 8.7 points through the team’s first three games this season, Fulks leads the Knights with 18 assists and has been to the free-throw line a team-high 14 times.
When Fulks signed with UCF this offseason, he wasn’t the only player making the journey from Milwaukee. Jamichael Stillwell also joined the Knights via the transfer portal, though their decisions to transfer did not coincide.
The 6-foot-8 senior forward spent two seasons at the JUCO level before playing for the Panthers last season. He became the first player in Milwaukee program history to average a double-double for the season, posting 13 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
“We played a lot of minutes together,” Fulks said of Stillwell. “We picked up right where we left off on the court, off the court. The connection and the chemistry are still there.”
“Coming from the point guard spot, he knows how I play and where my spot is [on the court], so it’s easy for him to find me,” Stillwell added.
Stillwell is third on the UCF team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 21 minutes per game.
Fulks and Stillwell aren’t the only pair of former teammates on the UCF roster. Riley Kugel and Jeremy Foumena spent last season playing together at Mississippi State.
“It gave us instant chemistry,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said of the teammates. “Having a few guys come in that have played together, at least you know those players, so there’s some familiarity. In both cases, both sets of players have really helped us in that regard because they know each other, even though they come from different systems.”
UCF (2-1) is coming off a dominant 97-60 win over Florida A&M on Tuesday night, during which Fulks recorded 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Stillwell added 6 points and 6 rebounds.
The Knights will travel to Texas A&M (2-1) on Friday for the back end of a home-and-home series, following last season’s 64-61 upset victory in Orlando.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/11/12/ucf-newcomers-themus-fulks-jamichael-stillwell-embracing-roles-with-knights/
