37-year college basketball head coach Rick Barnes has seen a lot of college hoops in his days.
Like, a lot of college hoops.
Still, though, Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht is doing something that even Barnes hasn’t seen too often – maybe ever if it weren’t for one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Knecht, here in his first season with Tennessee, has been ruthless against opposing teams on the road this year. The former Northern Colorado transfer immediately set himself up as one of the Vols’ main scorers early in the season but has transcended those expectations when it comes to playing on the road.
Knecht dropped 24 on the road against Wisconsin, 37 on the road at North Carolina, 28 against Mississippi State in Starkville, and 36 on Saturday night against Georgia in Athens. All in all, Knecht is averaging more than 30 points per road contest this year.
When asked after the game if he has ever seen a road streak like Knecht is on, Barnes gave a smile and a quick answer.
“Well, I did have Kevin Durant,” the former Texas coach Rick Barnes said with a grin. “So I saw it a bunch.”
There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been documented in Durant’s legendary career: College Player of the Year (2007), First Team All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, 2x NBA Champion, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 13x All-Star… the list goes on and on.
It’s fair to say that just having Knecht’s name in the same topic as Durant is an honor on its own – especially after how often Knecht has spoken about being a massive fan of Durant and Durant’s connection with Barnes being an impactful factor in his decision to go to Tennessee. But it’s also now safe to say that Durant is just a straight-up fan of Knecht.
“A DOG,” Durant commented on Tennessee’s social media post of Dalton Knecht after the Georgia game.
takes one to know one 🤝 @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/Y5sYZkJhfx
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) January 13, 2024
More from RTI: ‘Not Afraid Of The Moment’: Knecht Shines On Road Again, Bails Tennessee Out In Athens
Kevin Durant could retire from the NBA today and his statistics and accomplishments will likely live in the record books forever. It’s hard to compare a college senior against one of the top basketball players of this generation. Barnes, though, drew a fascinating throughline between both of his former players after Knecht’s 36-point game in Athens.
It wasn’t about shooting form or scoring ability or defense… It was about the mentalities of the players.
“Mindset,” Barnes said when asked how KD and DK compare. “It’s a mindset where, you know, short memory. Not afraid of the moment, willing to go make the big play and if they don’t, they’ve got a great ability to bounce back.”
With the Vols down 11 points in the second half against Georgia and a comeback attempt seeming unlikely, Knecht got that look in his eyes.
“Dalton, you guys have seen him know that when he gets that look in his eye, he can go do this,” Barnes said. “And he did. He did it.”
After a quick stretch of games with fewer points than usual, Knecht has exploded here in the last two games, scoring a combined 64 points in a four-day stretch. The Vols are going to need this high-scoring version of Dalton Knecht as SEC play continues.
But, at the end of the day, there’s a definitive note coming out of the game…
Kevin Durant is a fan of Dalton Knecht.
One Response
Fantastic, Dalton is a lot like Larry Bird