As a ‘little kid,’ Karter Knox was on Kentucky’s radar. Will he follow his brother’s path?
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Ben Roberts and Cameron Drummond of the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com are producing several stories and videos analyzing last weekend’s Nike EYBL basketball recruiting showcase in Louisville. Click below to access all of their coverage this week.
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The father of what is now a basketball family, Kevin Knox Sr. thinks back a few years and chuckles at the memory of his youngest son trying to keep up with the big boys.
There were the Knoxes, as usual, in the gym, Kevin Sr. working with his two eldest sons — Kevin Knox II and Kobe Knox — with little Karter on the side, looking to keep busy.
“He’d grab the cones himself and set up his own little playground,” the father said, still laughing. “And he’s going through the drills by himself.”
Knox Sr. said people would stop and give them all an amused look. “Did you teach him this?” they’d ask.
“I didn’t tell him to do that,” dad would say, pointing to one of the other boys. “I’m trying to work on this one!”
Kevin Knox II, obviously, ended up at Kentucky, where he spent one season before being the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Still just 22 years old, he’s already spent four seasons in the NBA.
Kobe Knox, a member of the 2020 recruiting class, spent a season in prep school and is now entering his second year at Grand Canyon University.
Karter Knox, six years younger than his oldest brother, was just a little kid during those workout sessions with his siblings. Now, he’s listed at 6-5 and 180 pounds, and he’s considered the No. 10 overall player in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Kevin Knox Sr. noted that his youngest son was able to tag along for every stage of his older brothers’ high school basketball careers and corresponding recruitments. In the younger Kevin’s case, that meant visits to the biggest college basketball programs in the country.
Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina — they all wanted Knox during the 2017 recruiting cycle.
One thing Knox Sr. requested of college coaches on each visit was time in the gym. They wanted to get some shots up in the arena in which the team played. And they wanted ample time — two hours, as a family — in the program’s practice facility.
Obviously, those college coaches weren’t just going to give a visiting family the run of the place, all on their own. And, even more to the point, the coaches hosting Knox wanted to make the best possible impression on the star recruit and his parents.
“So, there they are. And you take a little fashion to kids — come on now, we all do that,” Knox Sr. said. “And you see this kid dribbling. You see him shooting, doing layups. And so, you’re trying to get to know the family, so you know what they do? They gravitate to the little kid who’s making shots.”
While the head coach talked to Kevin and his parents, an assistant would often take Karter on the side and show him a few things. Dad recalled Kenny Payne, Jeff Capel, Nate James and Hubert Davis all working out with little Karter, clearly amused by the eager kid.
And then, when Karter got home and his own game began to grow, Knox Sr. was able to use those experiences to reinforce the fundamentals. At that point, it wasn’t a dad trying to tell his son what to do; it was a dad reminding his son that these are the things people like Payne and Davis had taught him.
“And he took it and ran with it,” Knox Sr. said. “And it latched on. And little by little, he became a really good basketball player.”
The Kentucky ‘family’
So far this spring, Knox has been one of the top scorers on Nike’s 16U circuit.
The teenager describes himself as a three-level scorer, and that checks out. Looking bigger and stronger than his oldest brother at this stage in development, Knox isn’t afraid to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. He can finish at the rim, score in the midrange and has a promising shot from the perimeter. As of now, he thinks the “2” would be his ideal position in college.
Knox, first known to UK’s staff as a little kid, has been on Kentucky’s recruiting radar for a while now.
Last summer, during one of the open evaluation periods, John Calipari stopped by one of Knox’s 15U games and took a seat. According to Knox Sr., the UK coach didn’t get up until the end.
“It’s not common for a person to come to a 15s game and watch the whole game,” he said, correctly. “Cal came to one last year, watched a whole game of Karter. He had 28 and 15, right there in his face.”
Afterward, the Kentucky coach was impressed.
“At this stage, he’s better than Kevin,” he told the father.
That’s obviously saying something. Kevin Knox II was the subject of one of the biggest blue-blood recruiting battles in recent years, the leading scorer on Kentucky’s team and an NBA lottery pick. He’s also someone that Calipari praised continuously, while he was on campus and after he left, constantly reminding anyone who would listen that Knox did what he did as one of the youngest players in all of college basketball.
And while the team result that season didn’t live up to everyone’s expectations — an upset loss to Kansas State in the Sweet 16 — the experience of playing for Calipari and Kentucky was a positive one for all involved.
“I was up there nearly every weekend,” Karter said with a smile. “Every big game they had. … It’s a great atmosphere. Basically, in Lexington — it’s all ball over there. That’s all they watch.”
His older brother has given him a glowing review: “He just told me it’s a great program,” he said. “Coach Cal is a great coach. They have a great coaching staff and a great fan base. Everything is just great over there.”
And, maybe most importantly, the parents were pleased.
“Kentucky — we’re family,” Knox Sr. said. “And that’s something that Cal will be the first one to tell you.”
Going his own way
It doesn’t need to be said that Kentucky is interested in Karter Knox.
Last year, the UK coaches invited the Knox family to Lexington for Big Blue Madness. They made the trip — Karter’s first and, so far, only recruiting visit — and they enjoyed themselves.
Orlando Antigua is in regular contact. Calipari still texts with Knox Sr. It sounds like both sides would be pleased if Karter ends up in a Kentucky uniform, when it comes time to make that college decision.
However, just because Kevin Knox II played for the Wildcats doesn’t mean Karter Knox will do the same. Their father laughed before explaining, for the third time in the conversation, that the two sons are different people, and that could very well lead to different paths.
On one hand, the youngest Knox brother has carefully studied his oldest sibling’s career. That goes for the positives and the negatives.
Dad said both sons are bigger wings who can jump and shoot, attack the glass and play well in transition. He also acknowledged the defensive shortcomings of his eldest son at this stage in the developmental process. The knock on Kevin Knox II in college and when he first entered the NBA was that he was lacking on the defensive end of the court. His father said Karter Knox, who has spent plenty of time in NBA facilities over the past four years, took notice. He read and retained the criticisms, and he’s been working to shore up that end of his own game at this early age.
Defending opposing guards was the first thing Karter mentioned when asked what he was concentrating on this spring. His father said the two players he’s trying to emulate the most are Jimmy Butler and Paul George, a duo with nine NBA All-Defensive team honors among them.
“I would say something that is different is Karter is going to bring more defensive intensity — just the shot blocking and things of that nature. On the ball defense,” Knox Sr. said. “He might bring a little bit more tenacity.”
If things continue at this trajectory, Knox will be one of the most coveted basketball recruits in the country. He still has two years of high school in front of him, however, and next week — June 15, to be exact — marks the annual date when college coaches can start contacting rising high school juniors directly.
Knox is looking forward to that day, which projects to be a busy one.
So far, he already has scholarship offers from Arizona State, Boise State and Illinois. Last week, Louisville became the latest to extend an offer, and Kenny Payne — now the U of L head coach — played an integral role in Kevin Knox II’s recruitment and development at Kentucky.
Arizona, Baylor, North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas have all reached out to express early interest, according to his father. The family plans to start taking some visits later this year.
“Kentucky is going to be right there,” Knox Sr. said. “Louisville has offered. We have a plethora of schools that we’re taking a look at.”
As the process unfolds, Knox is likely to garner a little more interest than usual based on his family ties. He’s well aware of his family’s legacy — his father was an NFL Draft pick and a national champion at Florida State, by the way — and he knows his ranking and basketball famous last name will get the best shot of opponents for the foreseeable future.
“Karter is accepting the challenge,” his dad said. “He wants to be his own person. And he wants to carve out a niche for himself — kind of get out of that ‘Kevin Knox’s brother’ shadow. I love the chip on his shoulder that he has to do that.”
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
