New York Knicks: Why people who know Kevin Knox best believe he is prepared for NBA

Chris Iseman | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Kevin Knox And Mitchell Robinson are the new Knicks first-round NBA Draft picks Kevin Knox And Mitchell Robinson are the new Knicks first-round NBA Draft picks

Emily Moore frequently heard the comment as she walked around Islands of Adventure, chaperoning Tampa Catholic's seniors at "Grad Bash."

"Oh my god, that's Kevin Knox."

Moore recalled hearing it over and over again as she watched Knox walk around with his classmates as they celebrated their graduation at the Orlando, Fla., theme park.

By that point, Knox was one of the top basketball recruits in the country, holding a slew of offers from schools that included Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.

His national profile was rising, but that didn't make a difference to him.

Knox, who stood out at 6-foot-9, couldn't understand what the big deal was.

"He was always such a bigger deal to everyone else than he was to himself," said Moore, Knox's former guidance counselor at Tampa Catholic.

People who have known Knox since early in his high school days say that level of humility hasn't left him.

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They also recognize the same unrelenting work ethic that Knox applied equally to academics and basketball. Knox craved improvement in each area of his life. He was never satisfied.

Knox will now take those same characteristics to the New York Knicks.

The 18-year-old declared for the NBA draft after starring at Kentucky, which proved to be the right move. The Knicks drafted him ninth overall, coveting his upside and potential. They believe he can become a high-impact player, though he will need time to develop.

Knox will need to put the work in. His past indicates he will have no problem doing so.

"If he sees an area where he needs to improve, he’s not going to wait for someone to say, ‘Well Kevin, you need to do this,’" said Cheriese Edwards, the assistant principal at Tampa Catholic. "He always took the initiative to figure out what he needed to do so he could improve his grade, improve his understanding, just to continue to get better."

Knox the competitor

Knox's demeanor belies his competitiveness.

He doesn't always look fired up on the court, typically leaving his emotions unrevealed.

Thomas Dziagwa, Knox's close friend and former teammate at Tampa Catholic, knows well that Knox's appearance doesn't tell the whole story.

"If it comes to video games or basketball, he’s one of the most competitive people I know," Dziagwa said. "It could be tic tac toe and he’s going to try to win. It could be a crossword puzzle and he’s going to try to finish it first."

On the court, Knox accepted whatever role he was given as long as it ended with a victory.

"All he cares about is winning, and that's the type of teammate he is," said Dziagwa, who now plays for Oklahoma State.

The Knicks have already seen Knox's competitiveness up close.

Knox readily participated in group workouts throughout the pre-draft process. He was part of a six-player workout for the Knicks.

"You see a lot of top guys in the top-10 lottery do solo workouts but I decided in the beginning I want to do group workouts," Knox said. "I wanted to compete. I wanted to go at people. I wanted to show people what I’ve really been working on."

'He's worked for everything'

Knox spent portions of the final two years at Tampa Catholic traveling with USA Basketball, playing in tournaments in places such as Argentina and Spain.

Edwards, who was then the school's dean, said Knox still never missed any assignments.

When he struggled in his one of his classes, Knox sought additional help from the teacher on his own without having to be prompted.

"He was always the first one to say, 'I'm going to take care of it," Moore said.

It was the same level of dedication he showed in basketball.

Knox, who was the quarterback for Tampa Catholic's football team his first two years of high school before shifting his focus completely to basketball, woke up at 6 a.m. each day to get to the gym and put up shots before school began.

Then after practice later in the day, he would be the last one to leave.

"He’s worked for everything he’s earned," Dziagwa said.

Edwards has been working in secondary education for 14 years. She said Knox's work ethic is unparalleled in her experience.

"It’s just something that’s natural for Kevin," Edwards said.

The teammate and classmate

Several special needs students at Tampa Catholic work as statisticians for the school's sports teams. Knox forged a relationship with one statistician named David who assisted the basketball team while Knox was there.

David recently returned to the school to visit some of his former teachers. At one point he ran up to Edwards, excitedly telling her about how Knox was going to be in the NBA draft.

"He was just so excited, like this was my best friend and he’s about to go in the draft," Edwards said.

As much as he was known as a star basketball player in high school, Knox was known just as much as being someone who could get along with seemingly anyone.

"You could put him in any situation with any group of people, and he gets along really well with a lot of people," Dziagwa said. "He’s just a really good person."

Knox was never blinded by his own success on the court or his rising national profile.

Moore said he was more concerned about others than himself.

"It’s his intuition on how other people feel about things," Moore said. "He could always tell when someone was having a bad day or needed a pep talk or a high five in the hallway. It’s exceptional these days to see a young person with that kind of intuition."

'He's just going to stay true to himself'

David Fizdale has indicated that he would have no problem putting Knox into the starting lineup right away.

It would be a big way for Knox to begin his development.

It remains to be seen what type of player Knox will become in the NBA. But the people who know him best believe he will do what it takes to reach the potential that he's shown.

He will not be satisfied just making it to the NBA.

Knox will have that same work ethic. The same humility. The same drive for success.

"The big lights and everything doesn’t change his personality," Dziagwa said. "He’s just going to stick to he is and he’s going to stick to what got him to where he’s at now. He’s just going to stay true to himself."

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