By SAM LANCE
Class of 2024 five-star wing Karter Knox has committed to Kentucky, he announced live on the Overtime Elite YouTube page.
Knox — the 6-foot-5, 205-pound McDonald’s All-American — chose Kentucky over Louisville, South Florida and a return to the OTE. Knox visited both Louisville and Kentucky in October.
“Coach Calipari, he sends a lot of people to the league and I want to be a pro,” Knox said. “He told me he’s going to make me a pro. I’m ready to hoop and win a national championship.”
Karter is the brother of former Kentucky standout and 2018 NBA Draft first round pick Kevin Knox.
“Karter is an undeniable talent and has emerged as one of the leaders on his team”, said Damien Wilkins, OTE GM and Head of Basketball. “I can’t wait to see the impact he makes at Kentucky as we’ve already seen so much growth and development from him during his time at OTE.”
The five-star small forward joins several other 2024 Kentucky commits, including five-star center Jayden Quaintance, five-star point guard Boogie Fland, five-star shooting guard Billy Richmond, four-star center Somto Cyril and four-star Kentucky native Travis Perry.
Fland previously told ZAGSBLOG.com he was recruiting Knox to Lexington. The addition of Knox could move Kentucky past Duke to No. 1 overall in the 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting class rankings. It would be back-to-back years at No. 1 for John Calipari and Kentucky if that happens.
Knox is the No. 19 overall player in the country per 247Sports and the No. 6 small forward. Knox currently leads all OTE playoff scorers at 24.2 points per game, and his RWE squad is up 1-0 on Bryson Tiller’s City Reapers in the OTE Finals (best of five).
At halftime of Knox’s announcement, RWE trails the City Reapers 42-40 and Knox has 12 points. Cyril — Knox’s teammate on RWE — has four points, three rebounds and two blocks in 11 minutes of action.
Kentucky is currently slated to have two freshman and players from its 2023 recruiting class — Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard — in the lottery of the 2024 NBA draft. Another Kentucky player and projected first round 2024 pick, DJ Wagner, played on the same Team USA team as Knox in high school.
Knox could follow in those players’ — and his brother’s — footsteps.
With Knox off the board, recent Indiana decommit Liam McNeeley and Bishop O’Connell small forward Bryson Tucker are the lone five-stars left on the board. In fact, those are the only two players available from 247Sports’ top-100 prospects.
Follow Sam Lance on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
