CLASS OF: 2001
SCHOOL: South Bend LaSalle HS, IN
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT: 6'2 180lbs
REACH AND WINGSPAN:
POSITION: Point Guard
00-01 RATINGS: 279 (HS), Top 200 (PS)
ACADEMICS: Yes
STATUS: Signed Purdue
AAU TEAM: Spiece North
Purdue's first commitment from the class of 2001 comes from 6'2 point guard Brandon
McKnight of South Bend LaSalle (IN). Purdue had scouted McKnight previously and was
said to have come away undecided, but later began to like what they saw. An AAU
coach we know calls McKnight and Purdue a potential good fit. He shoots well from
the perimeter, has skills at both guard positions, and is "quick as hell". From
the limited exposure we have had of him, his main area of concern is defensive
decisionmaking. McKnight was named to the South Bend Tribune's all-metro team as
a junior, leading 8-13 LaSalle in scoring (20.4), assists (7.8) and steals (2.4).
Also named to the 2000 Junior All-Star team, McKnight was a high honorable mention
all-state honoree by the Associated Press, and was named to the Northern Indiana
Conference first team.
4-16-01...Brandon McKnight has been named to the 2001 Indiana All-Star team.
Fellow Indiana All-Star honoree Kyle Hankins had a comment about McKnight, saying
"McKnight is going to Purdue. He's tough."
4-9-01...Brandon McKnight finished second in the voting for the 2001 Indiana Mr. Basketball
title. Indianapolis Pike guard Chris Thomas took the title, with Indiana-bound
forward Sean Kline coming in third. McKnight was also named to the Louisville
Courier-Journal Indiana all-state first team.
4-1-01...Brandon McKnight has now been named to the Associated Press all-state first
team.
3-29-01...Brandon McKnight has landed on the IBCA all-state first team.
3-25-01...Brandon McKnight and Brandon Jones have been selected to attend the Hoosier
Basketball Magazine Top 40 workout at Pike High School in Indianapolis on April 1st.
The workout, divided into two sessions, is used as a way to scout seniors for the
upcoming Indiana All-Star games this summer. Forty seniors and ten alternates will
compete from 1:00pm until 5:30pm, with players from northern and southern Indiana
playing the first two hours and players from central Indiana competing the final
two hours. If you are in the Indianapolis area and would like to check out two
future Boilermakers, be there at 1:00pm. The event is open to the public with
admission costing $5.
3-25-01...More honors for McKnight. He can now add Northern Indiana Conference
Player of the Year and the South Bend Tribune Metro Player of the Year to his
list of accomplishments. McKnight ended his high school career setting the career
scoring record for LaSalle at 1,444 points. Also named to the all-Metro squad
were junior Derrick Graham of Washington and sophomore Sylvester Mayes of Clay.
McKnight (28.6 ppg), Graham (25.0 ppg) and Mayes (24.9 ppg) finished 1-2-3
among the top South Bend area scoring leaders.
3-12-01...Spurred by a school-record 47-point outburst Feb. 27, Bellmont’s Seth
Colclasure regained the state scoring lead from Brandon McKnight of South Bend
LaSalle who held the lead for one short week after chasing the title the entire
year. Colclasure hit 19 of 28 field shots with five three-pointers as Bellmont
defeated Fort Wayne Northrop 77-60. The junior guard came back with 22 points
March 2 as the Braves (17-3) defeated Fort Wayne South Side 66-56. In his final
regular-season outing on Feb. 27, McKnight scored 19 points and became the
school’s season (581) and career (1,381) scoring leader as South Bend LaSalle
(12-8) rallied to top South Bend St. Joseph’s 56-49. As of March 3, Colclasure's
scoring average stood at 29.5 points per game, compared to McKnight's 29.0.
3-11-01...Brandon McKnight's high school career came to an end on Saturday as
Penn defeated LaSalle 61-52 in the sectional finals. McKnight led LaSalle (14-9)
with 29 points. McKnight scored 28 Friday night in LaSalle's 51-45 victory over
Adams, and 25 in last Wednesday's sectional opener against Mishawaka.
2-21-01...Last week, Purdue signee Brandon McKnight trailed the state scoring
leader Seth Colclasure by one-tenth of one point of his scoring average. This
week, McKnight remains in second place, now by only one-one hundredth of a
point. The averages of both players are still on the rise, up almost a point
since last week. Colclasure currently sits with an average of 29.25, while
McKnight comes in at 29.24 points per contest. Other players of interest listed
by the IHSAA ... No. 13 Anthony Winchester (24.0), No. 15 Sylvester Mayes (23.8),
No. 18 Chris Thomas (23.4), Tyler Clevenger (22.5) and Brandon Jones (22.5)
tied at No. 24, and No. 26 Marques Bennett (22.2).
2-15-01...One-tenth of one point. That is the margin between the scoring averages
of the state's No. 1 and No. 2 scorers. Battling it out are Bellmont junior Seth
Colclasure and Purdue-bound senior Brandon McKnight. A 79-point weekend by
McKnight helped to close the gap between the two leaders, but both are slowly
separating themselves from the rest of the state. There now exists just under
a three point gap between McKnight and the state's No. 3 scorer, Cris Brunson
of Evansville Reitz.
2-7-01...The newest state scoring rankings have been released by the IHSAA.
Brandon McKnight remains at No. 3 with an average of 27.0 points per game. But
he now has the distinction of being the only senior among the top five scorers
in the state. Last week's No. 2, Purdue football signee Brandon Jones, fell six
spots to No. 8, leaving four juniors and McKnight in the top five. Bellmont's
Seth Colclasure remains the top scorer in the state with a 27.7 per game average.
2-4-01...Little doubt remains that Brandon Mcknight is a playmaker. Not including
his 27 point, 10 rebound, nine assist, six steals and one turnover performance
against Gary Mann on Friday, McKnight currently ranks as the state's third best
scorer. He's averaging 27.3 points and 7.8 assists through 12 games this season.
1-19-01...In the latest IHSAA state scoring leader list, Brandon McKnight has
moved into third place with his 27.7 average. Through 10 games, McKnight is just
six points from being the state leader, and a 34 point output tonight would be
enough to overtake the leader. Other scorers of interest... No. 2 Seth Colclasure
(28.0), No. 6 Tyler Clevenger (25.1) and No. 9 Anthony Winchester (24.6).
1-14-01...Brandon McKnight's 26 points were not enough as LaSalle (4-6, 1-2) lost
to Penn 69-56. McKnight was 11-of-23 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line.
1-10-01...South Bend LaSalle held on to beat St. Joseph's 70-65. McKnight scored
26 points, was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line, and added eight rebounds. Through
LaSalle's nine games, McKnight is averaging 27.8 points per game. That ranks him
tied for third in the state of Indiana among scoring leaders, just 0.2 points
off the leaders. The state is currently lead by Ty Crone (1A Eminence) and Brandon
Gabbard (3A South Dearborn), both tied at the top with a 28.0 average. Tied with
Mcknight for third is junior shooter Seth Colclasure (3A Bellmont). Other players
of interest among the top 20 scorers as of January 6th...Chris Thomas (5th, 4A
Pike, 26.2), Anthony Winchester (8th, 2A Austin, 25.2), and Tyler Clevenger (11th,
2A Winchester, 24.6).
1-6-01...Brandon McKnight surpasses the 1,000 point career mark on Friday! McKnight
helped LaSalle (3-5, 1-1 NIC) snap a five-game losing streak on Friday. LaSalle
defeated South Bend Adams 69-58. LaSalle spent a lot of time over the Christmas
break working on three things...rebounding, enthusiam and ball handling. LaSalle
ended up with one more turnover than Adams, and one more rebound. But the enthusiam
was the largest improvement, especially with the play of 6'2 Adam Schwelnus.
McKnight scored 26 points, all from within the three-point line, and now has a
career scoring mark of 1,012 points. LaSalle also got 14 points from Schwelnus
and a 10 rebound performance from Brandon Dixon. McKnight now has an average of
28.1 points per game on the season.
12-30-00...Brandon McKnight scores 40 in loss. In the third place game of the
Mishawaka Holiday Basketball Tournament, the home team knocked off South Bend
LaSalle 82-76. Brandon McKnight finished with a game-high 40 points and eight
rebounds, scoring 19 points in the final quarter of play. McKnight was perfect
from the line and hit five shots from the perimeter.
12-28-00...On the topic of rankings, Purdue's most recent recruiting class of
Matt Carroll, Darmetreis Kilgore and Brandon McKnight has been rated the 35th
best class in the country according to Hoop Scoop. Clark Francis has the junior
college sophomore Darmetreis Kilgore as a top 40 player, McKnight at No. 99, and
Carroll in the top 200 to 300 range.
12-27-00...Brandon McKnight has slipped to the No. 6 scorer in the state through
seven games. He is averaging 28.4 points per contest. Chris Thomas falls to No. 8.
12-15-00...Official stats released by the IHSAA this week (games through December
9th), has Brandon McKnight as the state's No.4 scorer with an average of 28.7 points
per game. Brandon's 41 point outburst against Elkhart Central on December 8th currently
ranks as the second-highest scoring output in the state this season.
12-11-00...One thing is for certain this year, the war of words among fans as to who
is the best senior point guard in the state of Indiana will be furious if Purdue-bound
Brandon McKnight and Notre Dame-bound Chris Thomas continue their individual assaults
on scoreboards. While Thomas scored 35 points in Pike's only game this weekend, an
82-53 win over Providence St. Mel (IL), McKnight averaged 34 points over two games
this weekend. On Friday, McKnight exploded for 41 points in a loss to Elkhart Central,
hitting five three-pointers. On Saturday, McKnight added another 27 points and 11
rebounds after being the focus of the LaPorte defense. LaPorte's Nick Otis on McKnight
from the South Bend Tribune...This is two nights in a row I've seen him and (Friday)
night he was just incredible. Tonight, even with all the double teaming, we still
couldn't stop him."
12-3-00...South Bend LaSalle starts the season 2-0 with a Friday night win over Fort
Wayne South, 79-68. Purdue signee Brandon McKnight led the LaSalle Lions with 22 points,
10 rebounds and 10 assists.
11-27-00...Brandon McKnight opened his senior season with a 25 point performance against
Elkhart Baptist. Eleven of his twelve made shots came from inside the perimeter.
11-01-00...Jeff Washburn recently spoke to recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons about Keady's
incoming recruiting class of Kilgore, Carroll and McKnight. Gibbons believes it is Keady's
finest class since 1994, when Purdue brought in highly regarded Brad Miller and Chad
Austin, a sleeper named David Lesmond, and the nation's top junior college player Roy
Hairston.
10-5-00...Street & Smith has named Boiler prospect Darmetreis Kilgore a first team juco
all-american in this year's preseason preview. Purdue's lone verbal to date from the
Class of 2001, Brandon McKnight, must have really impressed the editors and scouts
from the magazine. He is the only player to be named both an honorable mention
all-american AND a high-honorable mention all-american.
7-16-00...Purdue recruit Brandon McKnight led his team against a traveling team of
collegiate signees with 19 points. Team Black won the game 111-94 over McKnight's
Team Yellow.
6-22-00...Even as loaded with talent as the Junior All-Star team is, they could not
overcome the much heralded Senior All-Star team on Wednesday in the north game of
their annual scrimmage. Zach Randolph led the seniors with 22 points, followed by
Brett Buscher's 19. For the juniors, recently-announced Purdue recruit Brandon
McKnight had two points while Purdue football recruit Brandon Jones had 10 with a
pair of perimeter hits. The seniors defeated the juniors 118-86. Parkinson was in
the game when the seniors took over, contributing six points, four steals, four
assists and no turnovers.
6-14-00...Purdue has received the first scholarship commitment for the class of
2001 from South Bend point guard Brandon McKnight. The 6-foot-2 ultra-quick playmaker
chose the Boilers after touring campus with his parents. McKnight is seen as the
state's second best playmaker next to Indianapolis Pike guard Chris Thomas.
6-2-00...Purdue received a visit first this week from Tyler JC forward Darmetreis
Kilgore, followed by a visit from South Bend LaSalle junior point guard Brandon
McKnight along with his high school coach. Purdue had scouted McKnight previously
and was said to have come away undecided, but now likes what they see and hopes to
see more this summer. An AAU coach we know calls McKnight and Purdue a potential
good fit. He shoots well from the perimeter, has skills at both guard positions,
and is "quick as hell". From the limited exposure we have had of him, his main
area of concern is defensive decisionmaking. McKnight was named to the South Bend
Tribune's all-metro team as a junior, leading 8-13 LaSalle in scoring (20.4),
assists (7.8) and steals (2.4). Also named to the 2000 Junior All-Star team,
McKnight was a high honorable mention all-state honoree by the Associated Press,
and was named to the Northern Indiana Conference first team.
Season thru PPG FG% FT% 3P% RPG APG SPG BPG RECORD
-------------------------------------------------------------
00-01 season 28.5 7.2 7.8 14-9
99-00 season 20.4 7.8 2.4 8-13
Date Day Time Opponent
---- --- ---- --------------------
11/07/00 FRI 7:00P @ Marian (scrimmage)
11/21/00 TUE 6:15P @ Elkhart Baptist
12/01/00 FRI 6:15P Fort Wayne South
12/08/00 FRI 6:15P Elkhart Central
12/09/00 SAT 6:30P LaPorte
Mishawaka Holiday Tournament
12/21/00 THR 6:00P @ Mishawaka
12/22/00 FRI 6:00P @ Mishawaka
Mishawaka Holiday Tournament
01/05/01 FRI 6:15P @ South Bend Adams
01/06/01 SAT 6:15P @ St. Joseph
01/12/01 FRI 6:15P Penn
01/19/01 FRI 6:15P Christian Center
01/26/01 FRI 6:15P @ South Bend Riley
01/27/01 SAT 6:15P Culver Military
01/30/01 TUE 6:15P Mishawaka
02/02/01 FRI 6:15P Gary Mann
02/09/01 FRI 6:15P @ South Bend Clay
02/10/01 SAT 7:00P @ Michigan City
02/15/01 THR 6:15P @ Washington
02/17/01 SAT 2:00P @ Elkhart Memorial
02/23/01 FRI 6:15P Marian
02/27/01 TUE 6:15P St. Joseph
* Times subject to change
* Contact Lasalle for ticket info at (219)283-7512
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