Pine Crest’s Brandon Knight continued to distance himself from past prep basketball standouts Wednesday when he was named Florida Gatorade Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Knight, the no. 1-ranked prospect by Rivals.com, became the first back-to-back winner from Florida and only the third overall in the 25-year history of the award, following former St. Vincent-St. Mary’s (Ohio) phenom LeBron James (2001-03) and Lawrence North’s (Ind.) center Greg Oden.
Already named to the McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic All-American teams, Knight’s stellar senior season has put him in position to repeat as the Gatorade National Player of the Year.
Knight, a favorite to claim his second Mr. Basketball Florida Dairy Farmers award, became the no. 2 all-time scorer in Florida and averaged a career-high 31.9 points and 8.6 rebounds in leading Pine Crest (25-5) to a berth in the Class 3A state finals.
Severely restricted by a groin injury suffered in the state semifinals, Knight’s bid for a third consecutive state title finished in a 70-46 loss to Tallahassee Rickards (27-0).
The 6-4 Knight is also a finalist for the Naismith Award along with North Carolina signee Harrison Barnes, Tennessee signee Tobias Harris, Duke commit Kyrie Irving and Ohio State signees Ohio State signees Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas.
Highly touted for his work ethic and competitiveness, Knight remains the highest rated uncommitted prospect of that five-star class but is close to making an announcement on his choice between UConn, Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Pine Crest’s Brandon Knight repeats as Gatorade award winner in Florida