Dalton Knecht, the forward for Tennessee and a transfer player pivotal in propelling the fifth-ranked Volunteers to a Southeastern Conference regular-season championship, has clinched two prestigious titles from the league’s Associated Press: player of the year and newcomer of the year.
Making a pit stop at the downtown Nashville burger joint, Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, Tennessee’s standout basketball guard Dalton Knecht, freshly crowned as the SEC Player of the Year, refueled in preparation for an afternoon tournament game at Bridgestone Arena.
Standing tall at 6 feet 6 inches, the NBA prospect savored an All-American burger before indulging in an extravagant CrazyShake milkshake.
Throughout the season, Knecht led the league in scoring, averaging an impressive 21.4 points per game, with a commendable 40.5% accuracy from beyond the arc, while also securing an average of 4.8 rebounds. Transitioning seamlessly from his previous stint leading the Big Sky Conference in scoring, the fifth-year Northern Colorado transfer demonstrated consistency and prowess, elevating his average from 20.2 points per game. His stellar performance was instrumental in Tennessee’s surge to prominence amidst stiff competition in the latter part of the season.
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Reflecting on his remarkable achievement of scoring even more upon joining the SEC, Knecht remarked, “It is crazy. I mean that is wild to think about that. You play with one of the best point guards in the nation and center in Jonas (Aidoo) and Z (Zakei Zeigler) so they make it a lot easier for me to just go out and just go hoop.”
Knecht led the nation with an impressive tally of five 35-point-plus performances. His scoring average of 25.5 points per game in SEC matchups is the highest since South Carolina’s Devan Downey averaged 26.2 in 2009-10. Knecht’s dominance is further underscored by his five appearances within the league’s top nine scoring performances this season.