"From Prairie View to the NBA: The Rise of Dalton Knecht"

Dalton Knecht, a graduate of Prairie View's class of 2019, was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft as the 17th overall pick on Wednesday evening. Chosen as the 17th overall pick, Knecht has now become the ninth-highest NBA draft pick to have graduated from a Colorado high school. He holds the highest overall selection since 1997, when Chauncey Billups, a graduate of George Washington High School, was selected as the third pick in the NBA draft.

Dalton Knecht was selected as the 27th player in the NBA draft after finishing high school in Colorado, making history as the first player from Prairie View to be chosen.

Knecht embarked on a lengthy and meandering journey to arrive at this juncture. Despite maintaining an average of 21.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game during his senior season, he commenced his collegiate basketball career at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling immediately after high school. Following his second season there, Knecht earned the distinction of being named a first-team NJCAA All-American, showcasing an impressive performance with averages of 23.9 points on 51.2 percent shooting, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, solidifying his status as one of the most sought-after prospects in junior college basketball. Subsequently, he transferred to the University of Northern Colorado, where he excelled as the conference's leading scorer, before ultimately making a move to the University of Tennessee for his final year of eligibility at the collegiate level.

During his time with the Volunteers, Knecht established himself as one of the most promising prospects in the NBA Draft. Following the 2023-2024 college basketball season, Knecht received numerous accolades including being named a consensus 2024 First-Team All-American, the unanimous SEC Player of the Year, the recipient of the 2024 Julius Erving Award (given to the best small forward in college basketball), the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year, ESPN's Transfer of the Year, the runner-up for the Associated Press National Player of the Year award, and a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award (both prestigious honors recognizing the top collegiate player in the nation).