If all you know of one of the top basketball prospects in the country is what a great dunker he is, you don’t know Kevin Knox.
“I think one of the things about Kevin, he has made such a monumental rise from where he was as a freshman,” Tampa Catholic boys basketball coach Don Dziagwa said.
Knox is literally the big man on campus. At 6-foot-8, he stands heads and shoulders above his classmates. He stands out, but he also fits in. He is after all, Tampa Catholic’s homecoming king.
“When they called my name, I was really excited, in front of the whole school," Knox said. "That was a great accomplishment for me.”
Knox’s Tampa Catholic experience is more than just hoops, but they’ve paved the way for a bright future. In his Economics class, the subject is supply and demand, something Knox can relate to. He is in high demand as one of the best prep basketball players in the country. How high? In the course of one week, Duke, Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina coaches sat in his living room begging him to play at their schools.
“When they come in, sit on my couch, watching TV with me and eating food, you just look back and you just think about the hard work you put in," he said. "It’s just great.”
College coaches aren’t the only ones recruiting Knox. Some of the top prep high schools attempted to get him to transfer.
“Almost every top school wanted me to come there for my senior year, but my little brother is a freshman this year. I’ve never played with him before, that has something to do with it," Knox said. "Then, just thinking about it, I’ve been here for three years. I haven’t won a state championship. I don’t want to leave all my friends. I’m a really big friend guy.”
One thing you need to know about Knox, he’s loyal. And humble and he’s got unfinished business at Tampa Catholic.
“Every time I put that jersey on, it means something special," he said. "Go out and play hard. I didn’t want to put no other jersey on. I think this is the right spot. I wanted to finish all my four years out and that’s what I’m going to do.”