FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It was like a surprise birthday party. Only better, said Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) basketball standout Brandon Knight.
Instead of a cake, ice cream, streamers and a giant “surprise,” Knight was met at the Capital Grill restaurant in Fort Lauderdale by family, friends, faculty, coaches and of all people, a wagon full of Gatorade employees.
Brandon Knight of Pine Crest School, raises his
trophy in celebration after being named the
2008-09 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player
of the Year, Tuesday, March 31, 2009 in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
Courtesy of Gatorade/Deborah Gray Mitchell
They were there to give Knight the good news: He joined the likes of LeBron James and Greg Oden as the only juniors to win the Gatorade National Boys' Basketball Player of the Year award.
Knight, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard who averaged 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists while leading Pine Crest to its second straight state championship, beat out numerous well-qualified seniors, many who are just up the road in Miami for the 32nd annual McDonald’s All-American game.
“I had a surprise party when I was 16, but it was nothing like this,” Knight said. “It was definitely surprising to get the award in the first place, but to also have it presented like that was unforgettable.”
He had an unforgettable season, capped off with a 60-44 win over Jones in the state finals. Knight had 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists. He shattered his own school single-season record by more than 200 points with 968 and he sank 127 3-pointers, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc.
More amazing, the school record holder in points in a game (55), career points (2,589) and assists (594) committed just 63 turnovers in 864 minutes.
Still, edging some of those future NBA players that are in the class of 2009 was unexpected.
"They normally give it to seniors, so I'm even more honored," Knight said. "But still, it's an award. I'm moving on and always trying to get better."
But Gatorade rewards more than good play, emphasizing academics and community service.
Brandon Knight of Pine Crest.
Lisa Yen
Knight sports a 4.28 grade point average and is a devote parishioner and youth group leader at the New Art Covenant Church. He also volunteers hundreds of year-round hours as a youth basketball coach.
“I can’t imagine a kid who better encompasses all they talk about in the Gatorade Player of the Year,” said McDonald’s East co-head coach Mark Lieberman, a four-time Miami Herald Coach of the Year at Miami Monsignor Pace. “What a great character kid. … If you think about the numbers he put up this season and the fact that he’s so rarely taking an uncontested shot. It’s mind-boggling.
“I think in the basketball world, everyone knows how good he is. I think he’s a sure-fire pro based upon what he’s done against the best in the country over the summer.”
Knight said he knows most of the McDonald’s All-Americans, but is particularly close to rival Kenny Boynton Jr. of nearby American Heritage School in Pompano Beach. Boynton, who averaged 34 points per game, was also a finalist.
“Kenny called me when he found out,” Knight said. “That was very cool.”
Knight is the first Florida player to win the national basketball award and just the 11th junior (of 204 honorees) to win a Gatorade National Player of the Year award in any sport.
Asked about the burden he now carries of being tabbed the best player in the country, Knight said:
“I’m just taking in all the positives,” he said. “I have a great family and some close friends to help me with everything else. I couldn’t be more honored.”
