Former Prairie View Star Dalton Knecht Drafted by Los Angeles Lakers at No. 17 in NBA Draft

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 general choose, on Wednesday evening.

Because the seventeenth general choose, Knecht turns into the ninth-highest NBA draft choose to have graduated from a Colorado highschool, and the very best general since 1997, when George Washington graduate Chauncey Billups was chosen with the third choose within the NBA draft.

An entire listing of the Colorado highschool gamers chosen within the NBA draft is out there.

Dalton Knecht is the twenty seventh participant general to be chosen within the NBA draft after graduating from a Colorado highschool and the primary ever from Prairie View.

Knecht traveled an extended and winding street to achieve 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 capturing, 7.5 rebounds, and a couple of.0 assists per sport, making him certainly one of junior faculty’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 finally transferring to the College of Tennessee for his closing yr of collegiate eligibilty.

Whereas enjoying for the Volunteers, Knecht emerged as one of many NBA Draft’s prime prospects. After the 2023-2024 faculty basketball season, Knecht was named a consensus 2024 First-Crew 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 prime collegiate participant general).

Extra Protection:

Colorado prep product Dalton Knecht taken seventeenth general by Los Angeles Lakers in NBA Draft | Matt Schubert, The Denver Publish

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 choose: ‘Extraordinary’ worth | Dave McMenamin, ESPN