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2024 Five Star Forward Karter Knox Discusses EYBL, Recruiting Battle Between Kentucky and Louisville

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UK Athletics/UofL Athletics

EYBL Performance

Karter Knox is averaging 21.2 points per game on just over 53.5% shooting from the field and 4.5 rebounds per game through Session 3 of the Nike EYBL Circuit. He leads all scorers in points per game, and he’s showcasing his elite all-around ability.

Following Session 1 of the Nike EYBL Circuit, Knox gave a self-evaluation of his performance and continued improvement, saying, “I’ve been working hard in the gym. I’m becoming more of a three-level scorer.”

He added, “I am a defensive player, but getting in the gym multiple times a day has really improved my game. I watch a lot of Anthony Edwards and how aggressive he is. He goes hard at everything.”

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With the work that Knox is putting in, he can be just like Anthony Edwards and even his brother, former Kentucky Wildcat Kevin Knox. He can be an excellent three-level scoring wing with some serious defensive prowess as well.

Recruitment Process

Knox also took the time to share what his experience has been like thus far when it comes to his recruitment. Knox talked specifically about Kentucky and Louisville, the two frontrunners to land him.

He stated, “I’ve only taken official visits to Kentucky and Louisville so far. I plan to take more visits. Just waiting to get those set, but it will be soon.”

Here is what Karter Knox said about his recruitment with Kentucky:

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“It means a lot to have coach [John] Calipari showing up to watch me play. You know, my brother (Kevin Knox) went to Kentucky, so I’ve been really close with them since the age of like 11 or 12. So, he is pretty much like an uncle to me. He’s a good coach, and he has a good coaching staff. They run up and down a lot, and he gives his guys freedom, so that’s how I play.”

And here is what Knox had to say about his recruitment with Louisville:

“He (Kenny Payne) was with Kentucky too, he recruited my brother, so he is like an uncle to me too. We are really close, and we’re close with the family. Their record doesn’t really mean anything. Their coaching staff is pretty good, and I know them.”

Other Potential Schools

Knox hasn’t singled his list down to just Kentucky and Louisville (not yet, at least), saying, “I’m not sure when I’ll narrow my list or commit by. I don’t really have a time frame in mind right now. My recruitment is still 100 percent open.” The other two schools that Knox discussed were Florida State and Arkansas.

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Here is what Knox had to say about Florida State:

“Their defense stands out. You know, Florida State loves defense, and I want to go to a place that wants to play defense. Coach [Leonard] Hamilton is a good coach. My parents went to Florida State, and my dad (Kevin Knox Sr.) played wide receiver there. I’m still a Florida State football fan. I’ve been that since I was three years old. But that won’t play a factor in my basketball decision. If they don’t have what’s best for me, I won’t go there. If they’re the perfect fit, then maybe.”

Here is what Knox said about Arkansas:

“I love their coaching staff. Eric Musselman is a really good coach, and they’re all really supportive. They reach out every day to check up on me. They’re a really good program too. They will have a few draft picks this year, so the development is crazy there, and that has caught my attention.”

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The Deciding Factor

What will be the deciding factor in Karter Knox’s recruitment? Here’s what he had to say:

“I’m going to look at the coaching, I want to play for a great coach and staff. The player development will be big for me. And the fans. I want to play in a great
atmosphere. How they play will matter to me. I don’t want to go to a school and
learn a whole new way to play. I want to go somewhere that matches my play style: playing fast and in transition with a lot of motion on offense.”

As of right now, Kentucky and Louisville are the odds-on favorites to land Karter Knox, one of the top forwards in the 2024 class. Of course, Florida State and Arkansas could be potential suitors as well. He has also received offers from Arizona State, Auburn, Boise State, and Illinois.

His stock will only continue to rise if he can continue to produce stellar performances like those he is having in the Nike EYBL Circuit.

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Watch some of Karter Knox’s eye-opening highlights below:

BB Recruiting

2024 5-Star Wing Karter Knox Commits To Kentucky

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2024 five-star prospect, Karter Knox commits to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Adam Hagy | Overtime Elite

Over the weekend, Kentucky not only got a Top 5 road win against Tennessee, or be featured in Drake’s concert at Rupp Arena, but they also received a 2024 commitment from a five-star recruit.

Karter Knox, a top-20 player in the 2024 class, and brother of former Wildcat Kevin Knox, announced his commitment to Kentucky on Saturday. Karter committed to Kentucky over South Florida, Louisville, and a return to Overtime Elite, with the latter two being seen as the most likely destination until nearly the very end.

Why Kentucky? “Coach Calipari has sent a lot of people to the league and I want to be a pro,” Knox said after his commitment. “He told me he’s going to make me a pro. I’m ready to hoop and win a national championship.”

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Knox joins five-star prospects Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, and Somto Cyril, and four-stars Travis Perry and Billy Richmond in Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class. Together, Kentucky’s class now ranks 2nd in the nation, behind Duke.

Don’t think that Knox will be Kentucky’s last take in the class as there are murmurs of 2024 decomitmments and 2025 reclassifications including Darryn Peterson, Jasper Johnson, and most recently, Joson Sanon.

Scouting Report

Per 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein.

Karter Knox is a true three-range scorer on the wing. He’s not quite as big as advertised, but he compensates with long arms, a naturally strong build, soft hands, good timing in a variety of different circumstances, and a versatile skill-set.

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While he’s a shooting threat from three with a soft natural ball and compact release, and even capable of making some threes on the move, he’s proven to be most efficient inside the arc to this point in his career.

He has very good perimeter footwork, can attack to either side off the dribble without wasting much motion, and plays through contact while doing so. He is a consistent pull-up threat in the mid-range area and showing an increased willingness to punish smaller defenders in the post. He’s shown flashes of passing ability and unselfishness, and is also a quality rebounder on the wing.

Defensively, he’s not the most laterally quick, but has enough size and length to be effective. The key is being consistently locked in though as he has times, particularly with his high school team, where he’s shown less sense of urgency on that end of the floor.

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2025 No. 1 Point Guard Darius Acuff Updates Recruitment, Talks About Kentucky Wanting Him to Be A Leader

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Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Darius Acuff, the No. 9 player and No. 1 point guard in the 2025 class, is one of Kentucky’s biggest recruiting targets in the class. While he has yet to drop a top list, Kentucky is believed to be in a really good position.

With his recruitment about to ramp up this spring, Acuff spoke with On3 to update his recruitment and discuss the two official visits he took last fall, one of which was to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness.

“It was lit down there,” he told On3. “I went down for Big Blue Madness. They’re a great school and have put a lot of players in the league. I’ve been doing my research on all the schools and I’ve seen all the guards they’ve had. They play my style of play and let their guards make plays. Their facilities were big and they definitely showed a lot of love when I was there. It was a great school.”

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During another interview with 247Sports, Acuff provided some insight into what the staff talked about during his visit.

“On the visit they told me to watch DJ Wagner and see how he talks and his leadership as the point guard of the team,” Acuff said. “They’d want to play my game if I were to go there, get to the next level and be a leader. Most of our conversations was about being a leader 24/7 because the team will go how you go.”

Kentucky recruiting Acuff as a leader suggests that the staff envisions him to be a key piece for the 2025 class, leading the team as the point guard.

Acuff’s lone other visit was to his home state school of Michigan, but he is looking to take more over the coming weeks and months, to Kansas (March 5th), Texas, Houston, Georgia Tech, and others.

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What is Acuff looking for in a school? “I’m going to be looking for a program and a coach that is going to let me do me and let me rock out,” he says. “I want to play with a coach who is going to teach me right from wrong and be there to support me. I’ve thought some about the pro stuff, I want to go to college though. Yeah, college for sure.”

John Calipari will let a player “rock out” if they prove themself to be good enough, just look at Rob Dillingham this season. That said, a proven three-level scorer, Acuff put up the fourth-highest point average in Nike’s EYBL last season.

For Kentucky, this is a positive update and certainly a recruitment to watch.

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Kentucky Expressing Interest In 2025 Kiyan Anthony, Son of Former NBA Star Carmelo Anthony

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Kentucky is showing interest in Kiyan Anthony, the son of former NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
Nike EYBL/Team Melo

Kentucky has been expressing interest in the son of former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, Kiyan Anthony. While he has the nation’s attention partly due to his father’s name, he is a top-40 player in the class of 2025.

Anthony played in the Marshall County Hoopfest in December, where the Kentucky staff was in attendance to check out 2024 Top-5 prospect VJ Edgecombe, who has since committed to Baylor. While there, they were impressed enough to reach out to Kiyan, who recently spoke with On3 to discuss his new Kentucky interests among other topics.

“I recently started to talk to Kentucky because they’ve been at our games and practices because of my teammate, VJ (Edgecombe). So I guess they were really impressed in practice and stuff,” Anthony said. He spoke with the Kentucky staff after his game in Marshall County, he said.

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He had some pretty good praise for Kentucky when he talked about his thoughts on the program. “I feel like Kentucky is top-tier when it comes to getting people to the league and just winning,” Anthony said. “Coach Cal, he’s not going to show any mercy. He really pushes his players to the max. Some people aren’t built for it, but I feel like the ones that are, they really take that next step and get to the league or get where they need to go.”

It needs to be noted that Kentucky has yet to extend an offer, but Anthony says, “The coaches over there are texting me, telling me to keep working. When they come to practice they say how I’m getting a lot better and they have their eyes on me.”

John Calipari has never been keen on the extra stuff that comes with having the son of a former NBA star (i.e. Bronny James) on his team, but could Kiyan be an exception? Time will tell, but at this moment it doesn’t seem likely.

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