'I love the way he plays.' Dayvion McKnight brings confidence, versatility to Xavier hoops

"I want to say Northern Iowa," Xavier senior guard Dayvion McKnight answered correctly.

McKnight remembers the opponent for his first collegiate game at Western Kentucky University. With a debut like he had, it's hard to forget.

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Eight months after leading Collins High School to a regional championship and three months after his 18th birthday, McKnight had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in WKU's 93-87 win over Northern Iowa in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

"Even though COVID-19 was passing, there was still a crowd. In college, 21 points is huge," McKnight said. "It was crazy."

Of course, scoring 20-plus points a night at the Division I level doesn't always happen that easily. McKnight started 17 of 29 games and averaged 5.8 points per game as a freshman. In high school, he was Mr. Kentucky Basketball as a senior and graduated as Collins' all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

The transition to college brought a natural learning curve.

"Coming from high school and me being one of the best players on my team to going to college and playing with grown, 20-year-olds, I had to step back and take a different role," McKnight said. "My confidence was shaken up."

Summers back in Shelbyville, Kentucky were spent with his trainer, elevating his game and getting out of his comfort zone. When he got back to Western Kentucky for the 2021-22 season, he had retained the confidence that made him one of Kentucky's all-time great prep players. In his second game as a sophomore, he poured in a career-high 34 points.

He would go on to lead Western Kentucky in scoring and assists the next two seasons while grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game.

"Some of the decisions I was making as a freshman, I would say I wouldn't make those decisions today," McKnight said. "The game slowed down for me."

McKnight can lead Xavier in different ways

By now, it's no secret that Xavier basketball in 2023-24 is reloading − not rebuilding − with a roster that includes nine different players after high turnover from last year's Sweet 16 run.

McKnight entered the transfer portal in March and committed to Xavier less than a month later after building a "connection" with head coach Sean Miller as "a point guard's coach."

McKnight was brought in as part of a quartet of transfers with valuable college basketball experience and the ability to help guide a highly ranked recruiting class with key returners Zach Freemantle, Kam Craft and Jerome Hunter out with injuries.

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"Bringing those guys in really helps the freshmen because they've been through the battles; they're battle-tested," Miller said Tuesday. "They don't know Xavier. They haven't played for us, but they've played three and four seasons of college basketball. That experience is so important to our team."

What about on the court?

"A player that is going to do it all − whatever it takes to win," McKnight said of what Xavier fans can expect from him this season.

McKnight backed up that projection in his first appearance in a Musketeers uniform in Tuesday night's 80-68 win over the University of Victoria in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League in Nassau, Bahamas.

The senior stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, 4 rebounds plus a team-high 5 assists. On the defensive side, he had a game-high 4 steals and helped hold Victoria leading scorer Diego Maffia scoreless for 17-plus minutes while Xavier ballooned its lead to as many as 26 in the second half.

"He looked confident, pushed the ball and it's kind of great to see him play with the disposition that he did on both ends," Miller said. "I thought Dayvion (McKnight) really rose to the challenge tonight. He set the tone and I love the way he plays."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier guard Dayvion McKnight can lead the Musketeers in many ways