What's Up With Knight?

With the success of John Wall comes the obvious, and somewhat depressing, question of who's going to replace him when he plays for pay next year? The kid that UK's staff covets the most is #1 prospect Brandon Knight. Both because of his status as the best high school point guard and what he could mean in terms of Kentucky's sustained success after John Wall leaves, I receive a lot of questions about what he's going to do. Recently, two separate articles came out that try to summarize Knight's current situation and possibly forecast where he could end up. The Middletown Press, with a slight UConn slant based on their location in Middletown, CT, got in touch with Knight's high school coach, David Beckerman, and discussed Knight's future. Beckerman outlines major factors going into Knight's decision, which include being in a conference on the national stage or being in the national spotlight in general, a coach with proven success, a team that is primed to be successful and a program that has placed players in the NBA. Beckerman does note one problem facing UConn when it comes to getting Knight: Starting PG Kemba Walker is most likely going to return. Knight's list also includes Kansas and, the school that the Middletown Press calls the "darkhorse," Florida. Knight's game has the same vibe as Sherron Collins, that of a pure point guard who also has the ability to score...a lot. The problem that I've always seen with Kansas, which I pointed out most recently in regards to Doron Lamb, is the absolute log jam that Kansas is going to have a guard next year. Kansas is probably going to have about 9 guards on their roster next year, not including any new guys they bring in, and most of them are fully capable of starting. A good problem to have for success on the court but bad when it comes to recruiting studs. So that leaves Kentucky. Adam "unlimited minutes/unlimited nights/unlimited weekends" Zagoria talked to Beckerman as well and got the skinny on Knight possibly being the next John Wall for Kentucky. Beckerman starts off by saying that he believes Knight's game is unique and won't be seen as a set of John Wall replacement tools. That's probably a great point that UK fans need to realize...John Walls don't come around very often. He goes on to say that Knight is watching each school to see how they do and how their recruiting classes pan out. UK's class is still up in the air but one thing is for sure, they'll have a glaring hole at one guard spot even with Bledsoe returning, assuming that Calipari continues running his two point guard set. They're also in need of guard depth in general. Lastly, Knight's coach makes it a point to say that "Kentucky has shown a lot of interest." Taking Calipari's success with landing top point guards and the fact that UK's situation seems to match up with Knight's needs very well, you can see why Kentucky is seen as a favorite to land Knight. That's why many, including myself, still feel that Knight's ultimate destination is going to be Lexington. Full Middletown Press Article (HT: Walter's Wildcat World) Full Zag's Blog Article