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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
Karter Knox, one of the top unsigned seniors in the country, announced his commitment to Kentucky on Saturday.
Knox, the younger brother of former top-10 NBA draft pick Kevin Knox, picked the Wildcats over a final list that included Louisville, South Florida and a return to the Overtime Elite program.
He had strong ties to each finalist. Kevin Knox played his college ball at Kentucky, and older brother Kobe currently plays at South Florida. Meanwhile, current Louisville coach Kenny Payne recruited Kevin when he was an assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky.
A 6-foot-6 wing from Tampa, Florida, who joined Overtime Elite last summer, Karter Knox was named a McDonald’s All American and is ranked No. 24 in the ESPN 100 for the 2024 class.
After averaging 19.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 16 games with the Florida Rebels on the Nike EYBL circuit last spring and summer, Knox averaged 23.1 points and 5.9 rebounds with Overtime Elite during the regular season. He has played very well in recent weeks, including two 30-point efforts in the OTE playoffs.
Knox joins the nation’s second-ranked recruiting class behind Duke and is the sixth ESPN 100 prospect in Calipari’s 2024 group. Five-stars Jayden Quaintance (No. 14) and Johnuel “Boogie” Fland (No. 15) lead the way, while Knox, Billy Richmond (No. 39), Somto Cyril (No. 46) and Travis Perry (No. 71) round out the group.
Kentucky will need to rebuild its perimeter group after this season, with freshmen Robert Dillingham and Reed Sheppard both ranked among the top five players in ESPN’s 2024 NBA draft rankings.
Fellow freshmen D.J. Wagner and Justin Edwards are both projected as second-round draft picks should they decide to leave Lexington early, while Ugonna Onyenso, Zvonimir Ivisic, Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell and Aaron Bradshaw are all ranked in the top 75. Reeves and Mitchell are both seniors and out of eligibility after this season.