Surprise or not? Brandon Knight seems headed to the NBA
The whole “one and done” topic has been discussed ad nauseum when it comes to the world of college basketball and now, one former local star has somewhat entered into the debate.
On Wednesday, the University of Kentucky announced the former Pine Crest star Brandon Knight, a freshman, had declared for this year’s NBA Draft, along with two teammates.
According to Kentucky, Knight hasn’t hired an agent and he has until May 8 to remove his name from the draft, providing he hasn’t hired an agent by that time. I’m curious to see if his decision comes as a surprise to the Broward County fans who watched Knight make a name for himself while at Pine Crest.
Knight’s prowess on the basketball court is well known in South Florida. He was the two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year. Finished as Broward’s leading scorer with 3,515 career points. Was voted Sun Sentinel Class 3A-2A-1A Player of the Year four times.
But one of the things that also made Knight stand out was his work in the classroom at Pine Crest. He was an honors student that took more than a few AP courses and some reports I’ve read recently have him having nearly enough college credits to graduate from Kentucky within another year. Throw in the fact that the NBA season is very much in doubt, and well, yes, Knight’s decision might seem suprising.
On the other hand, search for his name on mock drafts and you’ll find that multiple projections have him going as high as the No. 5 spot in this year’s draft. That kind of potential income can be hard for anyone to pass up, especially if he knows his college degree is still pretty attainable.
So what are your thoughts? Are you surprised by Knight’s decision? And if he’s drafted and there is an NBA season, how do you think Knight will do?
