Carolina got the third-best result with Kevin Knox going to Kentucky.
The best, of course, would have been the 6-9 high school stud committing to UNC. The worst would have been Knox going where most prognosticators had predicted – to Duke. If you can’t get the kid, you don’t want to play against him twice, and maybe three times, next season. Almost the same if he had picked Florida State.
When Knox did not put on a Carolina cap as he tweeted out his decision late Saturday night, the next best thing would have been Knox choosing Missouri, a losing team last year from another league. No chance the Tar Heels would face Mizzou, and who cared if they did. Knox isn’t good enough to be a one-man wrecking crew.
Kentucky is not on UNC’s schedule next season, but Knox and the Wildcats will play in the other game of the CBS Sports Classic doubleheader in New Orleans, where the Heels will face the Lonzo Ball-less Bruins of UCLA. So they can watch and wonder whether Knox would have filled Justin Jackson’s position as well as most fans were hoping. And, of course, the Tar Heels and Wildcats can always meet in the NCAA Tournament any old year.
Why he didn’t wind up playing for Roy Williams was probably not the same reason he won’t be playing for Coach K. At Duke, they were saying he could fill Jayson Tatum’s swing man spot, but the Blue Devils have no experienced inside players and the slight Knox would probably have been banged around a little too much for his liking.
While all of us with light-blue eyes believe his addition, and Tony Bradley’s return, would have given Carolina a good shot at a third straight Final Four, you have to believe that rival coaches are still using the scare tactic that, until the ongoing investigation is settled, UNC might be sitting out the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the end of Knox’s one and only season of college ball.
So right now, it looks like a veteran perimeter of Joel Berry, Kenny Williams and Theo Pinson, and a front court of Luke Maye and Bradley, or one of the three bigs ol’ Roy has signed if Bradley stays in the NBA draft. The Knox suspense is over, and it’s not a terrible result.
i agree. great article. knox would have helped but in no way does he decide the fate of carolina’s success next year. we’re just fine.
The decision of Knox is precisely why I wish high schoolers still had the option of going straight to the NBA. Coach Williams spent nearly 2 years recruiting Knox and he chooses the Kentucky system. It made so much sense to me for Carolina to be the choice. In the tarheels, you have a veteran point guard and wings who have won on college basketball’s biggest stage in Berry, Pinson, and Williams. You have potentially an experienced duo in the front court in May and Bradley. Knox could have, in theory, come in and attempt to fill the wing position left void because of Justin Jackson’s expected departure. This would have definitely been a preseason top 5 team and a odds on favorite to return to the final four for a third consecutive year. I was disappointed with the Knox decision but on the other hand, Im paying way too much attention to this stuff.
While I know it’s the new “norm” in today’s college basketball, I wouldn’t be terribly upset if UNC never gets another “one and done” player. I like to watch the guys come in as doe eyed freshmen and watch them develop in to young men and even better team mates. While Kintucky might have “won” this one, I’d suggest my beloved Tar Heels were the bigger winner and will do just fine without Knox’s services.
Agreed. Read some comments from Knox and his family leading up to the announcement that suggests he’s all about Kevin Knox and I’m not sure he would have been the type of team player we need. I’m sure Roy hated to miss on him but guys like Knox can sometimes be more of a disruption for that one year than a major contributor. If he’s coming in knowing that he’s a one and done player and things don’t go well for him, he may become disgruntled and that will show in his play.
Kevin Knox isn’t going to make Kentucky any better it was just proven this year ask the duke Kentucky and Kansas ucla and of course gonzaga who the national champs are when you under estimate a Roy Williams coached team you learn to regret it true they should of won it in 3016 but as true tarheel fans 2017 is just ad sweet so Knox enjoy your one year at Kentucky cause they haven’t won it on the NBA level either the NBA payoffs are well represented by tarheels.