Dalton Knecht reacts to winning SEC Player of the Year
Dalton Knecht received the honor of being SEC Player of the Year on Monday. It was a well-earned recognition by the Tennessee Volunteer based on his performances over the course of this season on Rocky Top.
Knecht spoke about the achievement to start a media availability that he had just a few hours after receiving it. He said that he found out he had won it yesterday from the program’s Director of Basketball Operations and C Jonas Aidoo when they came into the room that he was in to tell him.
“Mary-Carter told me when I was in the training room. And then Jonas told me as well. Both of them came in at the same time,” Knecht recalled.
As far as his reaction, Knecht knows the significance of being the Player of the Year in the Southeastern Conference. He also knows as well as anyone about the work that he and his team had to put in in order for him to even be in contention for it, let alone win it for himself.
“It was, for sure, a real cool moment. Like, you know, a crazy award,” said Knecht. “It was a lot of hard work. Big shoutout to my teammates and the coaching staff.”
When Knecht arrived in Knoxville from the portal after two years at Northern Colorado, this was something that was on his radar to some degree. To actually have it in hand after the year he had as a Vol, though, is a completely different thing.
“I mean, yeah, of course. I always wanted to be Player of the Year. It’d be real cool,” Knecht said. “But, also, I knew it was a lot of hard work.”
Knecht is the 10th person in the history of the Volunteers’ program to win SEC Player of the Year. This likely won’t be the last honor for Knecht either as he’s part of the race for national awards such as being an All-American and possibly the National Player of the Year.
Knecht finished the year as the leading scorer in the league on its No. 1 seed. He averaged 21.4 points per game, tied for eighth in the nation in scoring. He did so on 47.4% shooting from the field and 40.5% from three in just under 30 minutes per game.
In conference play alone, Knecht averaged 25.5 points per game. During those 18 games, he knocked down 48.1% of his shots and 40.5% from three on 3.1 makes from deep.
Knecht finished in double figures in all but four games this year. That included 16 outings of 20-plus points and seven performances of 30 or more. He then likely sealed the deal in this race with a 39-point game in a win over Auburn before setting another career-high of 40 points in a loss in the season finale against Kentucky.
Knecht’s numbers in his breakout campaign have put Tennessee in league and national contention. They finished with an overall record of 24-7 and won the conference’s regular season at 14-4. The Volunteers will now arrive in Nashville as the top seed in the SEC Tournament and hope to solidify themselves as a potential No. 1 seed in March Madness.
Knecht has been a sensation this season with him now looking to continue that run into the postseason. Still, in his eyes, none of it would have been possible had it not been for his own effort as well as the efforts of those who have supported him this year.
“Just happy I got it and a real big shoutout to my teammates and coaching staff,” said Knecht.