Kentucky, Louisville or field? Karter Knox, 5-star 2024 recruit, weighs 'difficult' decision

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Standing at the top of the key, Karter Knox broke free from a defender, beelined toward the basket and took flight.

The side-out lob pass in Knox's direction wasn't the cleanest with 2.1 seconds to play in the fourth quarter and the Florida Rebels in need of a bucket to force overtime. The defender nearly matched him stride for stride before he, too, went airborne. Knox had a contact knocked loose a few possessions earlier while wrestling for a defensive rebound; and he hadn't shot the lights out with head coaches from his top prospective colleges sitting courtside before his vision went blurry.

No matter. A medic got him seeing straight, and the 6-foot-6, 212-pound Tampa native got his hands on the ball long enough for it to fall through the net with 0.8 seconds on the clock. Fans gathered Thursday inside the main gym at Riverview Park Activities Center went bananas.

Four minutes later, the Rebels walked away with their third win of Nike EYBL Peach Jam pool play, 86-80 against Team Thad. Knox's ability to hit a new gear in crunch time was crucial in each victory.

"Big-time players make big-time shots," he'd said Tuesday after a 24-point, 11-rebound performance in the Rebels' first overtime win of the week.

The consensus top-10 recruit in the Class of 2024 has a big-time decision to make.

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Will he follow his oldest brother, former NBA lottery pick Kevin Knox Jr., and play for John Calipari at Kentucky? Will he choose to strike out on his own at Louisville under the guidance of Kenny Payne, who coached Knox Jr. in Lexington and from 2020-22 with the New York Knicks? Will he continue the family tradition of bleeding garnet and gold and attend Florida State like his parents? Could it be Arkansas, Auburn, LSU or the hometown South Florida, where his middle brother, Kobe Knox, transferred in May?

Could he bypass the college route and join NBA G League Ignite?

This much is certain: Knox said he hasn't yet made up his mind. The decision will be "very difficult," and every contender is still in play as he heads into his senior season at Tampa Catholic High School on a mission to become a complete player.

"I've got everything balanced," Knox said. "Coaches (are) calling me left and right, but I'm still in that gym every day, morning through night. It's just good to be in there."

'I've got to up my game'

Watching his brother practice with the Knicks during his early teenage years meant everything to Knox, who said he "wasn't locked in on basketball; I was kind of just playing around" as a middle schooler.

"Seeing that, I’m just going, 'If their work ethic (is) this high and I'm not, I've got to up my game — up my work ethic — and be on the same level," he said. "Or be above them."

He's on the right track. As a junior at Tampa Catholic, Knox averaged 19.8 points on 50% shooting (31% from 3-point range) with 9.9 rebounds per game, according to MaxPreps.com. Entering Peach Jam, the marquee wing prospect ranked second on the EYBL circuit in scoring (21.2) while converting 69% of his 2-point attempts and 34% of his shots from beyond the arc.

Last year, one AAU basketball media outlet crowned Knox the best underclassman at the Nike tournament after he averaged 17.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while leading the Rebels to the semifinals of the E16 bracket. This go-around was full of ups and downs, ending Saturday with eight points on 3-for-8 shooting, two rebounds and four turnovers while playing 15 minutes of a Game 5 loss to NJ Scholars.

Knox sat for much of the first half in Game 1 after picking up two fouls and struggling to score early, then found his footing to lead all players with 19 points. In Game 2, he started out strong, played through a slump and came alive again during the fourth quarter and overtime. He was held to eight points on 3-for-10 shooting in Game 3, turning the ball over four times, and was slow out of the gate when Game 4 tipped off in front of Calipari, Payne and other head coaches from his top eight.

Yet there he was, flying through the air and beating the buzzer for one of the biggest buckets of his career, then starting the overtime period with a pull-up 3.

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Knox's father, former FSU and NFL wide receiver Kevin Knox Sr., told The Courier Journal his son's character was built on those trips to the Knicks' practice facility and to top-flight college programs around the country during his oldest brother's recruitment in the late 2010s.

They agreed: It's hard to be fazed by the big stage when coaches like Calipari and Payne are considered family. You can't let up late in games when you've grown to hold your own in workouts with a brother who was one of the first 10 players off the board of the 2018 NBA Draft.

"When you put work ethic with opportunity to be exposed to that, you get success," Knox Sr. said. "I think, so far, Karter's been successful."

In the months to come, Knox said he wants to reach a point where he can defend smaller guards "for 94 feet" and continue honing his playmaking skills. He was at his best offensively at Peach Jam when he was either barreling down the court in transition or spotting up from deep. Becoming a better dribbler will be key, his father said, because it will allow him to further showcase his athleticism and three-level scoring ability.

"I think, if he continues that, with his work ethic, he's going to be fine," Knox Sr. said. "He'll be the next one in New York putting the hat on."

'Tunnel vision'

Wherever Knox chooses to attend college, he doesn't plan to stay long.

"I don't want to go somewhere where I've got to get used to the style of play," he said. "I want to be a one-and-done (player). I want to be a pro. That really plays a big part."

Louisville made it clear when another live evaluation period began Thursday that Knox is its top priority in the 2024 recruiting cycle by going three deep for the start of the Rebels' game against Team Thad. Payne stayed glued to his seat for the entirety of the overtime thriller. He was joined by assistants Josh Jamieson and Nolan Smith, who left at halftime to scout other players.

"(Payne) definitely wants to have that opportunity to coach Karter," Knox Sr. said. "I think he could really help out the University of Louisville, and it could be a two-way street. "(It's a) great basketball community, and that’s something he's recruiting against an hour up the road at Kentucky."

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The Wildcats had two coaches present for tipoff: Calipari and assistant Chin Coleman. They left after roughly a quarter to make the rounds in other gyms; assistant Orlando Antigua filled their void during the second half and described to them in detail Knox's game-tying bucket when they returned with one minute to play in overtime.

"Basically, they just told me, if I come there, they're gonna make me a pro," Knox said of UK's pitch. "That's what the other seven (options) said, too."

Another head coach sitting courtside was FSU's Leonard Hamilton, with whom Knox said he’s "really close" considering his parents' ties to the Seminoles and their recruitment of his oldest brother. Arkansas' Eric Musselman, Auburn's Bruce Pearl, USF's Amir Abdur-Rahim and at least one LSU assistant were also in attendance.

G League Ignite presents an intriguing opportunity, Knox said, because of its ability to develop NBA talent such as Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick in this year's draft. Knox Sr. said he would support that route "if that's the best fit" for his son, then acknowledged a lifetime college scholarship is tough to turn down in the event he wants return to school and get his degree down the line.

"I have a son who didn't go (the G League Ignite) route. (The college route) worked out well and maybe for a lot of other people, as well," Knox Sr. said. "You just got to find out what's your niche for your family — for your son as a player — and find out what you want and go from there."

Though his commitment timeline remains fluid, Knox said he plans to schedule another round of visits soon and "might trim (my list)" of contenders during his senior season.

"I still love all eight (options)," he said. "It's kind of hard to kick some out."

Knox Sr. told The Courier Journal he and his family want to see how rosters are shaping up for the 2024-25 season — "who's staying, who's leaving, who's going to be drafted, who's transferring" — but they're likely to "make our decision in 2023."

Whenever the announcement comes, it will reverberate around the commonwealth.

Either Calipari maintains the status quo after emerging victorious over Payne last fall in the race for top-rated 2023 combo guard DJ Wagner, whose recruitment also crossed family ties, Louisville flips the script on its quest for a second consecutive top-10 class after Payne's tenure began with the worst season in modern program history or both programs are left wondering where they went wrong.

The stakes are high. But if there's one thing Knox has learned on his basketball journey, it's that these are the moments great players live for.

"It's not really bothering me," he said. "I'm just staying locked in, tunnel vision, (to) all my goals."

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Karter Knox on Kentucky vs. Louisville basketball recruiting battle