Recruiting Report: Kayle Knuckles (2017)
Kayle Knuckles has only been playing organized basketball since his freshman year of high school. In today’s age of competitive youth basketball taking hold at increasingly younger ages, Knuckles is like a guy who waited until he was 25 years…
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Continue ReadingKayle Knuckles has only been playing organized basketball since his freshman year of high school.
In today’s age of competitive youth basketball taking hold at increasingly younger ages, Knuckles is like a guy who waited until he was 25 years old to get his driver’s license.
But Knuckles doesn’t see his late start as a negative. On the contrary, it leaves him excited to make up ground each time he takes the court.
“That’s a big reason why I keep playing, said Knuckles, a 6-6 senior forward at Valor Christian. “I really love the sport, and I know I can be a lot better than I am right now. That’s why I work hard every day, trying to be the best I can be.”
Make no mistake: Knuckles is already an impressive player who can make a big impact at the next level — which we still see as anywhere from D-III/NAIA to low Division I.
After scoring 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting in a 68-43 victory over Green Mountain on Thursday night, Knuckles is averaging 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds this season for our No. 2-ranked team in 4A. He has demonstrated maximum efficiency as an offensive player. He’s shooting an eye-popping 68 percent from the field, including an 8-for-8, 25-point performance in the Tarkanian Classic last month.
“He has an innate proprioceptive balance with that hand-eye coordination,” Valor Christian coach Troy Pachner said. “He can catch and finish at angles that even guys who are bigger, and might look like better bouncers, they don’t have that ability. And he works at it. He just has a really good mind for it.”
The efficiency offensively for Knuckles isn’t limited to finishes at the basket. He’s shooting 85 percent from the field. He’s also a capable 3-point shooter, which has Pachner encouraging his big man to let if fly after attempting only 13 shots from behind the arc in the team’s first 10 games (7-3).
“For Kayle, it’s all about confidence,” Pachner said. “In practice, his teammates are on him all the time saying, ‘Shoot the ball,’ because he’s such a natural.”
Knuckles said he is working to be more assertive.
“I’m still working on shooting the 3-pointer more,” Knuckles said. “I don’t always think I’m open, but then I see on film that I am. I’m working to be ready to shoot.”
Knuckles has received interest from schools like Division II Northwest Oklahoma State and Concordia Irvine in California. He also holds an offer from NAIA Concordia Nebraska.
Knuckles is bound to pick up more looks as he helps carry Valor Christian through another promising season. The only thing more impressive than how quickly Knuckles has learned the game is the ceiling he still has above him.