Knight striving to get better

Knight striving to get better

ll eyes will be Brandon Knight this season.
The Kentucky freshman guard has the daunting task of following John Wall, but has a resume that signifies he’s more than capable of following the footsteps of Wall, the top pick in the NBA last summer.

Knight has a history of being an unselfish player, a trait the Wall developed in his only season with the Wildcats last year. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 31.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.2 steals per game last season at Pine Crest High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Knight admits that he’s not “an attention guy” and doesn’t crave the limelight, but knows that the lights will be shinning on his jersey throughout the entire season.
“I just do what I do,” Knight said.

And he does it well. During preseason workouts, Knight and the rest of his teammates have been getting used to the speed of the game and making the proper adjustment.
“Coach always wants our brains to move slow and our body moving fast,” he said. “We’re all trying to work on that.”
Knight isn’t worried about the team developing the proper chemistry needed to succeed and successfully follow last year’s squad that went 35-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight.

“I don’t think it’s a tough thing to do at all,” he said. “As long as everyone has the mindset that we want to win and that you have to sacrifice certain things. You can see it in our attitude. We all want to win.”
When it comes to reaching team goals, Knight said he and his teammates will have to model after last year’s unit that featured five first-round draft picks, including Wall.

“We’re all going to have to sacrifice our own goals to win and that will make us better in the long run,” he said.
Knight is consistently working on his development and has been known to shoot baskets in the Joe Craft Center after hours. It’s all part of his desire to get better.
“That happens all of the time,” he said. “It’s nothing new. I did it at home (in Florida) and now I am here doing it. That’s just part of me striving to get better.”
As part of his development, Knight said he has to do “something each day to get better.”
“I get that trademark from my dad (Efrem Knight), because he is so important to me in all of the things I have accomplished so far,” he said. “He always told me to give it 100 percent and to make sure I did something every day to get better. If I don’t do something every day to get better, then I feel like it’s not right. That’s why I always come into the gym to try and do something better. He (has always) told me to give it 100 percent and if you don’t give it 100 percent, don’t do it at all.”

Knight’s top priority has been working on “trying to be a better vocal leader.”
“I’m trying to make sure I talk to my teammates and put them in certain places,” he said. “I just need to make sure they know what’s going on and what they need to be doing. I’m working on the mental part of it and making sure I make the right decisions.
Knight’s biggest surprise since arriving on campus has been “nothing on the court,” but rather off the court. Knight has been impressed by the school’s fan base.

“It’s crazy how avid they are about the basketball team,” he said.
As Knight will soon find out, it gets crazier once the season officially begins.

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