Because he has played with and against Brandon Knight, it was no surprise to Kenny Boynton that the Kentucky freshman has played so well this year.
“Brandon has been playing well all his life. I think I expected success out of him because he’s such a hard worker. He was that way in high school even,” said Boynton, a sophomore guard at Florida.
Both players from Florida are now headed for the NCAA Sweet Sixteen after both Kentucky and Florida won two NCAA games in Tampa, Fla., last week. The Wildcats will play Ohio State on Friday in Newark, N.J., in the East Regional, while Florida will play BYU on Thursday in New Orleans in the Southeast Regional.
Knight made the game-winning shot in Kentucky’s win over Princeton on Thursday, and he poured in 30 points Saturday in the win over West Virginia.
“We played with each other for three summers in a row, and then the last two years I transferred to a high school where we were in the same district, so we played against each other probably six or seven times,” Boynton said. “I have been seeing him since when we were younger. I was on the 13-and-under team and he was on a 12-and-under team. I watched him play and he got better and better every year.”
Boynton thinks he first sensed how special Knight be during his eighth-grade year when Knight was in the seventh grade.
“I played varsity, and he walked into the gym for practice at our facility and he played with us,” Boynton said. “He was mature. I knew for a fact he would be good. His dad was talking about transferring him to Pine Crest (High School), and I saw him play. After that, I knew he would be a good player.
“His basketball IQ has always been on point. I remember in high school when we would be on the road and he would be studying, He was always a bright kid and a good kid. I don’t have any bad things to say about him. On the road or when people were not around, he was always doing the right thing.”
Boynton remembers when Knight used to come watch his game, and then the next season Boynton went to watch Knight average 20 points per game as a high school freshman.
“I started watching his games all I could. He is great, and we learn from each other,” Boynton said. “We still talk after we play, and every now and then we hit each other with text messages. I also try to watch as many of his games as possible to root him on.
“We are not friends when we play on the court. It’s business then. But we are still friends off the court.”
Boynton, whose Florida team lost two of three games against Kentucky this year, says there is no scouting report he can give an opponent on how to stop Knight, UK’s leading scorer at 17.4 points per game and a 38 percent 3-point shooter. Knight also leads the team with 4.2 per game.
“Honestly, I couldn’t even say. If I had that formula, we would have shut him down,” Boynton said. “I think he is such a smart player that he doesn’t have to impact the game just off his scoring, either. He has such a good IQ, he could have 10 assists. He has a great feel for the game, he can knock open shots down and he’s just hard to defend.
“I have never seen him rattled. He always has had a good mental mindset about the game. Even this year when I watched him play and he had a bad first half like at Tennessee when he had two points, he came back and had like 17 in the second half. He is mentally tough.”
Boynton says he has not asked Knight about his future. However, he thinks his former teammate and friend likely will be in the NBA, not the SEC, next season.
“I doubt if he will be back at Kentucky. I think if the opportunity is there, he should take it, honestly,” Boynton said. “A lot of people don’t get that chance. If he does make the decision to go to the league, I think he will do well. He’s that good and really always has been.”
“Brandon has been playing well all his life. I think I expected success out of him because he’s such a hard worker. He was that way in high school even,” said Boynton, a sophomore guard at Florida.
Both players from Florida are now headed for the NCAA Sweet Sixteen after both Kentucky and Florida won two NCAA games in Tampa, Fla., last week. The Wildcats will play Ohio State on Friday in Newark, N.J., in the East Regional, while Florida will play BYU on Thursday in New Orleans in the Southeast Regional.
Knight made the game-winning shot in Kentucky’s win over Princeton on Thursday, and he poured in 30 points Saturday in the win over West Virginia.
“We played with each other for three summers in a row, and then the last two years I transferred to a high school where we were in the same district, so we played against each other probably six or seven times,” Boynton said. “I have been seeing him since when we were younger. I was on the 13-and-under team and he was on a 12-and-under team. I watched him play and he got better and better every year.”
Boynton thinks he first sensed how special Knight be during his eighth-grade year when Knight was in the seventh grade.
“I played varsity, and he walked into the gym for practice at our facility and he played with us,” Boynton said. “He was mature. I knew for a fact he would be good. His dad was talking about transferring him to Pine Crest (High School), and I saw him play. After that, I knew he would be a good player.
“His basketball IQ has always been on point. I remember in high school when we would be on the road and he would be studying, He was always a bright kid and a good kid. I don’t have any bad things to say about him. On the road or when people were not around, he was always doing the right thing.”
Boynton remembers when Knight used to come watch his game, and then the next season Boynton went to watch Knight average 20 points per game as a high school freshman.
“I started watching his games all I could. He is great, and we learn from each other,” Boynton said. “We still talk after we play, and every now and then we hit each other with text messages. I also try to watch as many of his games as possible to root him on.
“We are not friends when we play on the court. It’s business then. But we are still friends off the court.”
Boynton, whose Florida team lost two of three games against Kentucky this year, says there is no scouting report he can give an opponent on how to stop Knight, UK’s leading scorer at 17.4 points per game and a 38 percent 3-point shooter. Knight also leads the team with 4.2 per game.
“Honestly, I couldn’t even say. If I had that formula, we would have shut him down,” Boynton said. “I think he is such a smart player that he doesn’t have to impact the game just off his scoring, either. He has such a good IQ, he could have 10 assists. He has a great feel for the game, he can knock open shots down and he’s just hard to defend.
“I have never seen him rattled. He always has had a good mental mindset about the game. Even this year when I watched him play and he had a bad first half like at Tennessee when he had two points, he came back and had like 17 in the second half. He is mentally tough.”
Boynton says he has not asked Knight about his future. However, he thinks his former teammate and friend likely will be in the NBA, not the SEC, next season.
“I doubt if he will be back at Kentucky. I think if the opportunity is there, he should take it, honestly,” Boynton said. “A lot of people don’t get that chance. If he does make the decision to go to the league, I think he will do well. He’s that good and really always has been.”
