FORT LAUDERDALE
Fort Lauderdale In his mind, it was just another day.
An hour before he was scheduled to announce his college plans on live television, Brandon Knight sat in the courtyard at Pine Crest, talking with friends.
It was almost as if he was oblivious to the excitement building nearby in the school's packed auditorium.
Wednesday, the 6-foot-4 point guard ended months of speculation by reaching under a table, grabbing a Kentucky hat and placing it on his head while college basketball fans watched on ESPNU.
Knight, the highly touted recruit who was twice named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, also considered offers from Connecticut, Florida, Kansas and Syracuse.
"I was real comfortable with the situation at Kentucky," Knight said. "That was my main factor, where I felt I could be comfortable and where I could get better. I felt I could get better at Kentucky."
This season, Knight averaged a career-best 31.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He finished as Broward County's leading scorer with 3,515 career points.
Now, with five of Kentucky's top players, including John Wall, declaring for the NBA Draft, Knight is expected to make an immediate impact in Lexington.
Kentucky also loses three players to graduation
"They're getting a true point guard and a true student athlete," Pine Crest coach David Beckerman said. "When you're talking about the skill set he has, going to the level of college that he's going to and playing in the conference he'll be playing in, I'm sure it will be an easy transition."
Another factor in Knight's decision was the work Kentucky coach John Calipari has done with some of the nation's top point guards, including Wall, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans.
"That had [something] to do with it," Knight said. "Just the fact that he's had great players at my position before and he's a coach that wins games. I try to be a winner as much as I can, so that was very attractive."
While Knight answered questions about Kentucky, he shied away from discussing how long he'll be there.
Nbadraft.net has Knight as the No. 4 overall pick in its 2011 mock draft.
"That's not something I'm thinking about," he said. "I've always liked to focus on the moment. Once I get there, I'll play and see how it goes."
Christy Cabrera Chirinos can be reached at
[email protected]
Copyright 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
