For Tennessee, Knecht is the headliner—Vols' veterans are fine with that
Even as the seconds ticked away in a game that was well in hand, Tennessee players were finding ways to get Dalton Knecht the ball.
Just 16 games into his lone season with the Vols, the transfer guard had already made a place for himself in the program record books, but in the final minute against Florida on Tuesday night, his teammates were trying to help him add another record.
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Days after becoming just the fourth player in program history to score 35-plus points in multiple road games and already having broken the record for most points in a three-game stretch midway through the second half, Knecht needed one more basket to become the first Tennessee player to score 40 points in a single game since Grant Williams did it vs. Vanderbilt in 2019.
Allan Houston was the last player to do it in Knoxville. And he still is.
Knecht finished with 39 points, pacing the Vols in a 85-66 dismantling of the Gators with one of those performances that lend credence to the expectation that this could be the first Tennessee team to reach a Final Four.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes might have been upset with Knecht's shot selection late as he chased 40 points, but there were stretches in the game where he was hitting just about every shot he wanted.
"I'm sure he is (upset)," Knecht quipped. "I tried to get my 40. Big shout out to my teammates for letting me get the ball and just trying to get me to that 40 mark. I had multiple chances to get that throughout the entire game. I had a couple of missed layups and open shots. But I thank my teammates for getting me into those spots and really helping me get there."
Averaging more than 18 points per game, Knecht continues to lead the way in an SEC Player of the Year race that seems more and more out of reach for the rest of the field every time he touches the floor.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Key takeaways: Another Dalton Knecht master class
Since transferring from Northern Colorado, where Knecht spent two seasons after a stint in the JUCO ranks, he has seemed to be the final piece to bridge the narrow gap between Tennessee and the heights it has never quite reached as a program.
Barnes needed an answer to the offensive lulls that have plagued even really good Tennessee teams over the years. Knecht has been the antidote. He has scored 25 or more points in four games this season and averages 31.3 points on the road.
He has also become the face of the program, and his teammates are fine with that.
Knecht is the only newcomer in the Vols' starting rotation. Each night he plays alongside four other players that have been with the team for at least three years. Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi are in their fifth seasons and the two have had stretches in their careers where they took the team on their back.
They're still effecting games in other ways, particularly on the defensive end, but they've embraced their new roles. And they've embraced Knecht.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: By the numbers: Just how good has Dalton Knecht been?
“Those two guys are two of the most unselfish people I’ve ever been around in my life," Barnes said. "They’re happy for (Knecht). They get it and, believe me, they’ve embraced him because they want to win...They’re going to go out as some of the winningest players here at Tennessee. They are so unselfish. But defensively, I think they worked so hard to try to help Dalton. Because they know that they want him on the court, but they also know late games, you got to be able to do it on both ends. You go back, I think a little bit of where Josiah’s struggled lately is I think he’s played too many minutes and that’s my fault. And I can say the same with (Vescovi), because honestly, those older guys, they’re my comfort blanket. I know they’re going to guard.
"But the job that those guys do, coaching these guys that are new to this, is phenomenal. They’re so unselfish, believe me. They’re happy for him and most of all, they’re happy that we’re winning.”
Knecht's quick transition is due in no small part to the veterans.
In his adjustment to facing bigger and faster defenders than he had face previously in his career, Knecht credits Jahmai Mashack.
There were no egos or hesitancy preventing Knecht from picking up the offense and taking on the roles that Zakai Zeigler, James and Vescovi previously held at different points in their Tennessee careers.
"Ever since the first day I got here on campus, they've been super helpful," Knecht said. "Just letting me go through the offense, learning my game as well as I'm learning theirs. They've just been a big help. If I ever have a struggle or anything like that, they're always there to help me on both ends or even off the court.
"Those two as leaders, as well as Zakai, they've been big time for me to transition here and just help me improve."
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