Brandon Knight, Pine Crest
File photo by Lisa Yen
Knight, a senior at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, is widely considered as the nation’s top high school basketball player and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a junior.
The 6-foot-3 guard became just the third junior to receive the award, joining LeBron James and Greg Oden, both top picks in their respective NBA Draft classes. Both James (2002 and 2003) and Oden (2005 and 2006) repeated as winners of the award. Knight doesn't feel any pressure to do the same.
“I don’t see any reason to change my game or feel any pressure to win the award again,” Knight said. “This is my last year at Pine Crest and my main goal, as a basketball player, is to win the state championship. If there is anything that I work hard at trying to repeat, it’s that.”
The response was fitting for Knight, who led Pine Crest to back-to-back Class 3A state championships, and not far from becoming a reality as the Panthers (19-2) recently captured their fifth consecutive district championship with an 80-71 win over rival American Heritage.
In the win, Knight poured in 18 first-half points, all on 3-pointers, en route to a 35-point, eight-rebound performance. He finished with a career-high eight 3-pointers. It was his seventh consecutive game of scoring 30 points more more. The uncommitted senior exploded for a season-high 51 in a 90-70 win over Grandview Prep on Jan. 27.
As a junior, Knight averaged 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
As if national attention wasn’t enough, Knight recently received an opportunity to showcase his skills on a global scale after being picked for the USA Junior National Select Team to participate in the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Ore.
“I’m happy to be named to the USA Select Team,” Knight. “I’m honored to represent the country and play with some of the best players from around the nation. Those guys overseas can really play ball and, as for me, it would be a great challenge to compete against them.”
The game, which will played outside of Portland, Ore., on Saturday, April 10, features some of the nation’s elite basketball talent playing against an international all-star team.
Knight has been courted by some of the nation’s elite college coaches but according to his coach, his value as a student-athlete stretches beyond the court.
“He could go to any school in the country without bouncing a ball,” Pine Crest head coach David Beckerman said. “He has a 4.3 grade point average at the No. 1 academic school in Florida. He could not bounce a ball and go to Harvard. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime player, but he’s also a superb student.”
That's part of the reason why Kentucky, Florida, Connecticut and Syracuse are engaged in a major recruiting battle for his services. Knight isn't interested in milking the process for more attention, however.
“I’m just like any other 18-year old kid," Knight said. “I play Xbox, PlayStation and I like going to the movies with friends.”
Knight, whose academic achievements may be even greater than his athletic success, says he doesn't have a major in mind but has growing interests in engineering and environmental science.
“Being a student-athlete has helped me grow as a person,” Knight said. “In a way, what I learn in the classroom helps me on the court and what I learn on the court helps me in the classroom. For me, one of the most important goals in my life is to become the best person I can be and help others. Whichever way I do it, whether through playing pro ball or getting a great education, doesn’t matter as long as I get it done.”
For now, college will have to wait its turn as Knight still has more on his ‘to-do’ list while at Pine Crest.
On Friday, the Panthers will host the state’s top-ranked team according to MaxPreps.com's Freeman Rankings, Winter Park (19-4), in a nationally-televised showdown at Florida Atlantic University.
Knight will face the next big thing in the Sunshine State, Winter Park junior guard Austin Rivers, already a Florida Gator verbal commitment.
“I’m treating this game like any other,” Knight said. “I know it will be on TV and a lot of people will be watching but that doesn’t bother me. They are a good team, but so are we. Our guys are playing great basketball this year and that makes my job a lot easier."
Knight has piled up 3,221 points in his career and needs 167 points to break the Broward County record held by Former Blanche Ely and American Heritage alum and current Florida Gator, Kenny Boynton.
