Brandon Knight, PG

It appears that if a youngster wants to become an elite point guard in the NBA, he needs to first be on the recruiting radar of Kentucky head coach John Calipari.

The UK mentor produced one of the NBA's most electrifying players, Derrick Rose (Chicago) during his tenure at Memphis and last year developed John Wall (Washington), who was the No. 1 overall pick and most coveted point guard in the 2010 draft.

At present, the Wildcats' coach is about to see another one of his players vie for the honor of being the first point guard selected in the draft -- Brandon Knight, who followed Wall's route of playing just one season in college, is likely to battle Duke's Kyrie Irving for the right to be the first lead guard drafted in June.

"Brandon is a warrior on and off the court. He is as driven as any other player that I've ever coached. He has an innate ability to score while finding the open man. Right away he should be a leader and also a top-notch defender," Calipari said.

Knight was a standout performer at Pine Crest High School, where he was recognized as the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year as a junior and senior. He became the first student-athlete from the state of Florida to win Gatorade's national honors. A national advisory board that was composed of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country selected him from more than 552,000 high school boys basketball players.

During his junior prep season, Knight led the Panthers to their second consecutive Class 3A state title. He averaged 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and three steals per game during the season. Knight scored 27 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished four assists in a 60-44 win over Jones High in the state final.

That year, he broke his own school single-season record by more than 200 points, finishing with 968 points. He also set a school record with 127 3-pointers. These accomplishments contributed to Knight being named the 2009 Florida Mr. Basketball.

As a senior, Knight averaged 32.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game, along with producing a 4.3 grade point average. He was again selected Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year, in addition to being named the state's Player of the Year by the Miami Herald.

The four-time Class 3A-1A All-State choice was a finalist for the Naismith National High School Player of the Year Award and was a consensus All-American choice. Ranked as the sixth-best overall basketball player in the nation by Rivals.com, he ranks second in the state of Florida history in scoring, totaling a staggering 3,515 points from 2005-2010. If not for missing 19 games his junior season, Knight might have been first on the scoring list.

On March 4, 2010, Knight played his last high school basketball game. After injuring his groin in the state semifinals, he led Pine Crest to the championship game seeking a third consecutive Class 3A state title, but lost 70-46 to Rickards High School of Tallahassee.

Knight played in the 2010 McDonald's All-American Game in Columbus and hit the game winning three-point basket to give the West a 107-104 victory. He also played in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland and in the Jordan Brand Classic in New York.

In his only season as a Wildcat, Knight led the team and ranked fourth in the Southeastern Conference in scoring, averaging 17.29 points per game. His 657 total points established a Kentucky freshman season-record, as he also broke the UK frosh annual mark with 87 successful three-point field goals. He also placed second in the SEC with an average of 4.18 assists per game during the 2010-11 campaign.

Positives: Coaches have said he is a sponge when it comes to quickly absorbing information … Blessed with fluid body control and a quick initial step, Knight is equally proficient as a scorer or passer … Has a polished scorer's mentality, making him a better fit as a combo guard … Streaky scorer, but when he gets into a rhythm, he can connect from anywhere on the court … Heavily right-hand dependent, but has the explosive first step and good lateral agility to finish around the basket … Stamina and top speed to consistently run the court … Strong for a player his size and capable of boxing out bigger opponents … Has the size and natural length to disrupt the passing lane … Uses his explosiveness to get by his man off the dribble … Shows much better touch with his right hand than with his left, evident by his ease of movement executing floaters in the lane … Moves up and down the court with good quickness and can simply glide through the air and draw fouls when going to the basket … Has a nice hesitation move to take his man off balance and shows good adjustment skills on crossover action … Needs to improve his leaping ability, but has a high, quick release from the perimeter … Has the reach and wing span to get his shot up and over a leaping defender in tight spaces … Shows the length and foot speed to stay in front of shooters and chase around screens … Comfortable in catch-and-shoot situations but isn't used to playing without the ball … Smooth coming off baseline screens with good elevation and body control, a consistently quick release and body control and balance to score despite contact.

Negatives: The youngest player in the draft (18 years old), Knight is still a work in progress as a point guard … He appears much more comfortable at the two-guard spot but his size and minimal bulk would limit his ability to challenge shooting guards and small forwards defensively at the next level … Very coachable, but perhaps due to his youth and overall shyness, he has yet to embrace the leadership role attached to being a point guard … A consistent scorer, but also a very predictable one -- right-hand dominant and likes to work left to right when breaking down a defense, the type of minutiae NBA coaches will exploit as a weakness … More of a rhythm shooter, but has long stretches where he can't hit the side of a barn and doesn't show the awareness to work toward the basket or get others involved even during these cold streaks … Might be a better fit as a combo guard as a rookie … Has an inconsistent outside jumpshot and is not a great leaper, needing to set his feet better before elevating … Needs to become much more aggressive taking his shot, as he is a decent passer, but you would like to see him take more opportunities going to the rim … Unfairly compared to Derrick Rose (simply lacks Rose's athleticism and skill level) … Needs to run the floor with a tighter handle, as he is very turnover prone (120 in 38 games) and despite very good academic skills, he struggles making quick decisions, especially when in tight areas, resulting in a very poor assist/turnover ratio (one of the worst in the NCAA last year), as he is prone to lose his dribble working in a crowd … An NBA team has to look at his birth certificate and be patient with this youngster, as he does not yet have the tough skin to excel in an NBA environment … Has marginal court vision and is too willing to bounce away from contact; might become a liability in the paint.

Compares To: JASON TERRY, Dallas Mavericks -- Knight isn't an NBA-ready court general because he lacks natural leadership ability. He has good ball-handling skills and can score but is more of a shooting guard trapped at the point guard position -- like Sam Cassell and Allen Iverson and much like Terry. He plays the game with intelligence, but is a rhythm shooter who tries to shoot himself out of slumps more often than an NBA coach will care to see. He is still a bit shy to take control of the tempo of the game and unlike in high school, he did not appear too comfortable with the idea of coming up with the clutch baskets in pressure situations. His athleticism and scoring potential will make him one of the first guards taken in the draft, but teams shouldn't expect him to instantly be the classic lead guard type.

--Dave Te' Thomas

Freshman All-American selection by The NBA Draft Report and the United States Basket-ball Writers Association … Added Freshman All-Southeastern Conference first-team honors and was named the NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player … Finalist for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, given to the year's best point guard in the college basketball … Started all 38 games at point guard for Kentucky, leading his team to the SEC championship and then went on to advance to the NCAA Final Four … .Set school season-records for freshman, as he scored 657 points (17.29 ppg), which also ranks 12th overall on the UK annual record charts, also establishing first-year marks for most three-point attempts made (87-of-231; 37.66%) and total field goals (217-of-513; 42.3%) … Connected on 136-of-171 free throws (79.53%) … Ranked second in the conference with an average of 4.18 assists (159 total) per game … Grabbed 153 rebounds (4.03 rpg), as he also blocked eight shots and had 25 steals (0.66 spg) … Scored in double figures 35 times.

Knight started all 38 games in his only season at Kentucky, setting the school freshman season scoring record with 657 points, joining John Wall (616; 2009-10) as the only first-year players in UK annals to post 600 points in a campaign … Also established the Wildcats freshman season-record with 87 successful three-point field goals, which rank sixth over-all on the school's annual record chart, topped by Jodie Meeks (117; 2008-09), Travis Ford (101; 1992-93), Derrick Miller (99; 1989-90) and Tony Delk (95 in 1993-94; 93 in 1995-96) … His 217 total field goals surpassed the previous school freshman season-record of 206 by DeMarcus Cousins (2009-10) … In his collegiate debut, he scored 17 points vs. East Tennessee State, tying Pat Riley (vs. Iowa in 1964) for the tenth-best point total by a UK player in his first college contest … Scored 30 points vs. West Virginia in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, the most ever by a UK freshman in a post-season game, topping the previous mark of 29 points by Eric Bledsoe vs. East Tennessee State in the 2010 tournament's first round clash … His 30 points also rank as the second-best game by a UK freshman, topped by Jamal Mashburn, who totaled 31 points vs. Georgia during the 1991 regular season.

Attended Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) High School … Named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year as a junior and senior … Became the first student-athlete from the state of Florida to win Gatorade's national honors, after the Gatorade advisory board selected him from more than 552,000 high school basketball players …

During his junior prep season, Knight led the Panthers to their second consecutive Class 3A state title, as he averaged 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and three steals per game during the season … Knight scored 27 points, pulled down nine rebounds and dished four assists in a 60-44 win over Jones High in the state final … That year, he broke his own school single-season record by more than 200 points, finishing with 968 points … Also set a school record with 127 three-pointers en route to being named the 2009 Florida Mr. Basketball … As a senior, Knight averaged 32.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game, along with producing a 4.3 grade point average … Again selected Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year, in addition to being named the state's Player of the Year by the Miami Herald … The four-time Class 3A-1A All-State choice was a finalist for the Naismith National High School Player of the Year Award and was a consensus All-American choice … Ranked as the sixth-best overall basketball player in the nation by Rivals.com, he ranks second in the state of Florida history in scoring, totaling a staggering 3,515 points from 2005-2010. If not for missing 19 games his junior season, Knight might have been first on the scoring list … On March 4th, 2010, Knight played his last high school basketball game. After he injured his groin in the state semi-finals, he still led Pine Crest to the championship game seeking a third consecutive Class 3A state title, but lost 70-46 to Rickards High School of Tallahassee … Graduated with a 90.7 grade point average.

Business major … Participated in 2010 USA Nike Hoop Summit and Jordan Brand Classic All-American game … Son of Tonya and Efrem Knight … Born 12/02/91 … Resides in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.