As Dalton Knecht left the podium at the postgame press conference for the final time in a Tennessee jersey, he hugged and shared a quick word with Vols coach Rick Barnes.

Despite spending just a single season at Tennessee, Knecht had formed a relationship with his coach that he hadn't previously had in his career. This all started on a visit to Knoxville during his recruitment.

When Knecht got to campus, he told Barnes he wanted to be coached hard. When he eventually signed up to play for Barnes, that's exactly what Knecht got.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Over the course of the year, the bond the pair formed strengthened. Barnes was hard on Knecht on the court, but the effect he had on the senior guard was clear off the floor, as well.

"I would say it's by far the closest I've ever had to be with a coach," said Knecht. "He's coached me super hard ever since I told him on my visit that I wanted to be coached super hard, and he's held up to his end. He's been beyond just that. He's been helping me off the court, on the court. He cracks jokes and stuff like that. Coach Barnes, I love him to death, and I can't thank him enough for bringing me in for my one year here."

When Knecht decided to join the Vols for his final season, the whole program was quick to welcome him. There were no egos about a volume shooter joining the team, they were happy to have him.

All season Knecht has echoed the same sentiment about his short time at Tennessee. He wish he had more time to play with his teammates and within the program.

This message remained as his time finally ran out.

"I just love these guys," said Knecht. "And I wish we could have one more game.

As the starting point guard, Zakai Zeigler has built a relationship with the team's leading scorer. On many of Knecht's shots, the assist tracks back to Zeigler.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Key takeaways: Dalton Knecht's big night not enough to reach Final Four

This was the case for one last time as he racked up eight assists to help Knecht reach 37 points in the Elite Eight loss to Purdue. This performance reinforced the high praise Zeigler has for Knecht.

"DK, he's a fighter," said Zeigler. "Every night he's going to do what he did tonight. We think he's the best player in the country. That will always be how I see him in my eyes, best player in the country."

Now, Knecht will look to continue his career in the NBA. He is projected to be a fringe lottery pick with some having him taken in the top 10 and others having him slide a bit farther down the board.

The biggest knock on Knecht is his age. While one-and-done players enter the draft at 18 or 19 years old, the Tennessee guard will be 23 on draft night.

Barnes thinks things are just beginning for Knecht, though. He's seen the growth he went under this season on both ends of the floor.

"Well, he's only getting started," said Barnes. "He's just getting started. He came -- I mean, offensively he's going to continue to get better there. He's what I would call a flame thrower. He gets his shot off, you're not going to affect him with it.

"Defensively he knows he's got to get better there, but I think he would tell you that no one's asking to maybe do itas hard as we did this year, and he responded well."

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