AURORA – Dalton Knecht, a member of Prairie View’s 2019 graduating class, has been chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers within the first spherical of the 2024 NBA Draft, with the seventeenth total decide, on Wednesday night time.
Because the seventeenth total decide, Knecht turns into the ninth-highest NBA draft decide to have graduated from a Colorado highschool, and the best total since 1997, when George Washington graduate Chauncey Billups was chosen with the third decide within the NBA draft.
An entire listing of the Colorado highschool gamers chosen within the NBA draft is on the market.
Dalton Knecht is the twenty seventh participant total to be chosen within the NBA draft after graduating from a Colorado highschool and the primary ever from Prairie View.
Knecht traveled a protracted and winding highway to succeed in this level. Regardless of averaging 21.0 factors, 6.4 rebounds and a couple of.0 assists per sport his senior season, he performed for Northeastern Junior Faculty, in Sterling, proper out of highschool. After his second season there, Knecht was named a first-team NJCAA All-American and averaged 23.9 factors on 51.2 p.c taking pictures, 7.5 rebounds, and a couple of.0 assists per sport, making him one among junior school’s most coveted basketball prospects. From there, he transfered to the College of Northern Colorado, the place he led the convention in scoring, earlier than ultimately transferring to the College of Tennessee for his last 12 months of collegiate eligibilty.
Whereas enjoying for the Volunteers, Knecht emerged as one of many NBA Draft’s high prospects. After the 2023-2024 school basketball season, Knecht was named a consensus 2024 First-Staff All-American, the unanimous SEC Participant of the Yr, the 2024 Julius Erving Award winner (awarded to the nation’s greatest collegiate small ahead), the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Yr, was named ESPN’s Switch of the Yr, was the runner-up for the Related Press Nationwide Participant of the Yr award, and was a finalist for each the Naismith Trophy and the Picket Award (each of that are awarded to the nation’s high collegiate participant total).
Extra Protection:
Colorado prep product Dalton Knecht taken seventeenth total by Los Angeles Lakers in NBA Draft | Matt Schubert, The Denver Put up
Former Northern Colorado males’s basketball participant Dalton Knecht chosen by Los Angeles Lakers in first spherical of NBA Draft | Annie Delaney, Greeley Tribune
Lakers thrilled with Dalton Knecht decide: ‘Extraordinary’ worth | Dave McMenamin, ESPN