Brandon Knight (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Brandon Knight is an American professional basketball
point guard
with the Detroit Pistons
of the National Basketball Association
. Knight won the 2009 and 2010 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Awards. He became the third junior to receive the award following LeBron James
(2002) and Greg Oden
(2005).
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Knight was recognized in 2009 and again in 2010 as the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year
as a junior and senior. Knight was the first student-athlete from the state of Florida to win Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors. A national advisory board was composed of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the US. This board selected Knight from more than 552,000 high school boys basketball players nationwide. Knight has maintained a 4.28 grade-point average.
In his junior year, he led the Panthers to their second consecutive Class 3A state title. He averaged 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and three steals per game during the season. Knight scored 27 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished four assists in a 60–44 win over Jones High in the state final. He beat his own school single-season record by more than 200 points, finishing with 968 points. He also set a school record with 127 three-pointers. These accomplishments contributed to Knight being named the 2009 Florida Mr. Basketball
.
Knight is second all time on the scoring list for high school basketball in Florida, amassing a staggering 3,515 points from 2005–2010. If not for missing 19 games his junior season, Knight might have been first on the scoring list. Knight's favorite NBA team is the Phoenix Suns and favorite NFL teams are the Colts and the Rams.
On March 4, 2010, Knight played his last high school basketball game. After injuring his groin in the state semi-finals, he led Pine Crest to the championship game seeking a third consecutive Class 3A state title, but lost 70–46 to Rickards High School of Tallahassee.
Knight played in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game
in Columbus
and hit the game winning 3 point basket to give the West a 107–104 victory. Also, he played in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit
in Portland
and in 2010 Jordan Brand Classic in New York
.
guard Kenny Boynton, Raymond Taylor and Team Breakdown defended their title easily. Once Boynton graduated, Knight switched to Team STAT/Each One Teach One during 2009, joining Austin Rivers
in the backcourt. Knight broke his foot in mid July during a game at the Nike
Peach Jam Tournament and took the rest of the summer off to rest his foot.
and Scout.com
.
Knight considered Connecticut
, Kansas, Kentucky
, and Syracuse
. He had in-home visits with Kansas, Kentucky, and UConn. Knight had also taken official campus visits to Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, and Miami.
On April 14, 2010, Knight signed an aid agreement with the University of Kentucky, not a letter of intent. Amid rumors that Kentucky coach John Calipari would jump to coach in the NBA, Knight's parents advised him to sign an aid agreement. An aid agreement is different from a letter of intent in that the aid agreement is only a one way commitment, with Kentucky committed to give him one scholarship year while he can transfer without any repercussions from the NCAA, while a Letter of Intent means the deal is a two-way commitment between the school and the athlete. By signing an aid agreement, the Wildcats were committed to Knight, but he was not committed to them.
over the Windsor Lancers. Knight had 17 points and 5 assists in his Kentucky debut. In 14 games completed, Knight lead all freshmen in the nation in scoring, averaging 18.3 ppg on 47% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line. He also averaged 33 minutes a game, 4 assists and 3 rebounds per game. Impressively, Knight won SEC freshman of the week three times. In January Knight was one of 20 players selected as a finalist for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, given to the year's best point guard in the college basketball. He was picked to the Fifth Team All-America by Fox Sports. He was among the final ten candidates for the Bob Cousy Award.
He led his team to an SEC championship victory and then went on to advance to the Final Four.
. On June 23, 2011 Knight was selected by the Detroit Pistons
with the 8th overall pick in the draft.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
with the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Knight won the 2009 and 2010 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Awards. He became the third junior to receive the award following LeBron James
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . Nicknamed "King James", he was a three-time "Mr. Basketball" of Ohio in high school, and was highly promoted in the national media as a future NBA superstar while a...
(2002) and Greg Oden
Greg Oden
Gregory Wayne Oden, Jr. is an American basketball player at the center position. Oden is a member of the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA....
(2005).
High school career
Knight attended Pine Crest SchoolPine Crest School
Pine Crest School is a private college preparatory school with campuses in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1934 by Mae McMillan who began as a tutor to children of families spending the winter in South Florida, USA. In 1995, Dr. Lourdes Cowgill became...
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Knight was recognized in 2009 and again in 2010 as the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to male and female high-school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' football, girls' softball, girls' volleyball, boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' cross country, girls' cross country,...
as a junior and senior. Knight was the first student-athlete from the state of Florida to win Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors. A national advisory board was composed of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the US. This board selected Knight from more than 552,000 high school boys basketball players nationwide. Knight has maintained a 4.28 grade-point average.
In his junior year, he led the Panthers to their second consecutive Class 3A state title. He averaged 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and three steals per game during the season. Knight scored 27 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished four assists in a 60–44 win over Jones High in the state final. He beat his own school single-season record by more than 200 points, finishing with 968 points. He also set a school record with 127 three-pointers. These accomplishments contributed to Knight being named the 2009 Florida Mr. Basketball
Florida Mr. Basketball
Each year the Florida Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Florida.The winner of the Mr. Basketball Award, sponsored by Florida Dairy Farmers, Inc...
.
Knight is second all time on the scoring list for high school basketball in Florida, amassing a staggering 3,515 points from 2005–2010. If not for missing 19 games his junior season, Knight might have been first on the scoring list. Knight's favorite NBA team is the Phoenix Suns and favorite NFL teams are the Colts and the Rams.
On March 4, 2010, Knight played his last high school basketball game. After injuring his groin in the state semi-finals, he led Pine Crest to the championship game seeking a third consecutive Class 3A state title, but lost 70–46 to Rickards High School of Tallahassee.
Knight played in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game
2010 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 2010 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly-recruited high school boys graduating in 2010...
in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and hit the game winning 3 point basket to give the West a 107–104 victory. Also, he played in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit
Nike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is a basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select team of international players. The players demonstrate their skills and hope to attract attention from either NBA scouts or...
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and in 2010 Jordan Brand Classic in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
AAU
Knight also had much success on the AAU circuit. As a sophomore, Brandon's Team Breakdown won the Junior Division National Championship, which is the most competitive division in AAU. The following year, Knight formed a dominating backcourt with current FloridaFlorida Gators men's basketball
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Southeastern Conference...
guard Kenny Boynton, Raymond Taylor and Team Breakdown defended their title easily. Once Boynton graduated, Knight switched to Team STAT/Each One Teach One during 2009, joining Austin Rivers
Austin Rivers
Austin Rivers is an American college basketball player for Duke University. Rivers led Winter Park High School to back-to-back Florida 6A state championships in 2010 and 2011. He also played in the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit for the USA National Team, and in addition, Rivers also participated in the...
in the backcourt. Knight broke his foot in mid July during a game at the Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
Peach Jam Tournament and took the rest of the summer off to rest his foot.
College recruiting
Knight was ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the class of 2010 in the ESPNU 100, and the No. 6 recruit by Rivals.comRivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
and Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
.
Knight considered Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies men's basketball
The Connecticut Huskies is the name of the men's college basketball team representing the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut, USA. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference...
, Kansas, Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
, and Syracuse
Syracuse Orange men's basketball
The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference...
. He had in-home visits with Kansas, Kentucky, and UConn. Knight had also taken official campus visits to Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, and Miami.
On April 14, 2010, Knight signed an aid agreement with the University of Kentucky, not a letter of intent. Amid rumors that Kentucky coach John Calipari would jump to coach in the NBA, Knight's parents advised him to sign an aid agreement. An aid agreement is different from a letter of intent in that the aid agreement is only a one way commitment, with Kentucky committed to give him one scholarship year while he can transfer without any repercussions from the NCAA, while a Letter of Intent means the deal is a two-way commitment between the school and the athlete. By signing an aid agreement, the Wildcats were committed to Knight, but he was not committed to them.
Kentucky
In his UK debut, Knight had 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 0 turnovers. Knight led Kentucky to a 95–62 win in an exhibition game in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
over the Windsor Lancers. Knight had 17 points and 5 assists in his Kentucky debut. In 14 games completed, Knight lead all freshmen in the nation in scoring, averaging 18.3 ppg on 47% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line. He also averaged 33 minutes a game, 4 assists and 3 rebounds per game. Impressively, Knight won SEC freshman of the week three times. In January Knight was one of 20 players selected as a finalist for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, given to the year's best point guard in the college basketball. He was picked to the Fifth Team All-America by Fox Sports. He was among the final ten candidates for the Bob Cousy Award.
He led his team to an SEC championship victory and then went on to advance to the Final Four.
Professional career
Knight left Kentucky after his freshmen season to enter the 2011 NBA Draft2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
. On June 23, 2011 Knight was selected by the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
with the 8th overall pick in the draft.
Awards and honors
- 2011 SEC Freshman of the Week (1/3/11)
- 2010 SEC Freshman of the Week (12/27/10)
- 2010 SEC Freshman of the Week (11/13/10)
- 2010 McDonald's All-American team selection
- 2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American team selection
- 2010 Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year
- 2009 Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year
- 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year Florida
- 2009 Florida Mr. BasketballFlorida Mr. BasketballEach year the Florida Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Florida.The winner of the Mr. Basketball Award, sponsored by Florida Dairy Farmers, Inc...
- 2009 First Team All-State selection
- Nominee, Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year Award
- Panhandle Sports Broadcasting 2009 Class 3A Tournament MVP
- Pine Crest school records:
- Career points (3,515)
- Single-season points (968)
- Points in a game (55)
- Career assists (594)
- Single-game assists (16)
- Career 3-pointers (259)
- Single-season 3-pointers (127)
- Single-season free throw percentage (81)