DENVER (news agencies) — Dalton Knecht has always packed one thing with him throughout his cross-country, multi-school basketball journey — a chip on his shoulder.
Feeling overlooked has powered the guard from Colorado along his stops at Northeastern Junior College (Colorado), Northern Colorado and Tennessee. Knecht is coming off his final college season during which he averaged 21.7 points with the Volunteers, earned All-America honors and received shout-outs from none other than his idol, Kevin Durant.
That determination has Knecht (pronounced “connect”) on the precipice of becoming a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The most recent media mock draft projects him as going to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9.
“I feel like I’ve been underrated my entire life,” Knecht said in a recent interview with the news agencies. “I feel like people counted me out. Proving people wrong was my biggest thing, and always stepping on the court knowing that I’m the best player and just going out and proving it. Making sure that when the game’s over, they say Dalton was the best player.”
Friendly words of advice from his coaches travel with him, too.
From Eddie Trenkle at Northeastern Junior College: Work harder when no one’s watching.
From Steve Smiley at Northern Colorado: Be consistent every day.
From Rick Barnes at Tennessee: Focus on the little things.
From mom and dad, his biggest fans: Dream big.
He’s melded all that together.
For being here, in this position, he credits a growth spurt that took him from 5-foot-8 in high school to 6-6 now. He also gives an assist to the lockdown defense of Zoe, the family’s dog, whenever he dribbled around the house.
And that chip.
Coming out of Prairie View High School in Henderson, Colorado, he didn’t receive a ton of offers because, “I didn’t have a name for myself,” he explained.
That would change.
Knecht spent two seasons at the junior college in Sterling, Colorado, earning NJCAA All-America honors his sophomore year after averaging 23.9 points.
To this day, a piece of advice from Trenkle stays with him.
“He was like, ‘When people are sleeping, get yourself in the gym and work,’” Knecht recalled.
Trenkle remembered how after home games, and long after the fans filed out, Knecht would take the court again to hone an aspect of his game. For instance, a mid-range jumper.
“When you say gym rat, he’s the epitome,” Trenkle said. “He’s fought his way to the top wherever he’s been.”
Trenkle is convinced Knecht would’ve landed at a Power Five school after his time in Sterling had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. He sang the praises of Knecht to coaches any chance he got.
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