‘I love the way he plays.’ Dayvion McKnight brings confidence, versatility to Xavier hoops

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“I want to say Northern Iowa,” Xavier senior guard Dayvion McKnight answered correctly.

McKnight remembers the opponent for his first collegiate game at Western Kentucky University. With a debut like he had, it’s hard to forget.

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Eight months after leading Collins High School to a regional championship and three months after his 18th birthday, McKnight had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in WKU’s 93-87 win over Northern Iowa in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Xavier senior Dayvion McKnight averaged over 16 points per game in each of the last two seasons at Western Kentucky.

“Even though COVID-19 was passing, there was still a crowd. In college, 21 points is huge,” McKnight said. “It was crazy.”

Of course, scoring 20-plus points a night at the Division I level doesn’t always happen that easily. McKnight started 17 of 29 games and averaged 5.8 points per game as a freshman. In high school, he was Mr. Kentucky Basketball as a senior and graduated as Collins’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

The transition to college brought a natural learning curve.

“Coming from high school and me being one of the best players on my team to going to college and playing with grown, 20-year-olds, I had to step back and take a different role,” McKnight said. “My confidence was shaken up.”

Summers back in Shelbyville, Kentucky were spent with his trainer, elevating his game and getting out of his comfort zone. When he got back to Western Kentucky for the 2021-22 season, he had retained the confidence that made him one of Kentucky’s all-time great prep players. In his second game as a sophomore, he poured in a career-high 34 points.

He would go on to lead Western Kentucky in scoring and assists the next two seasons while grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game.

“Some of the decisions I was making as a freshman, I would say I wouldn’t make those decisions today,” McKnight said. “The game…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/love-way-plays-dayvion-mcknight-133951856.html?src=rss

Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer

Publish date : 2023-08-10 13:39:51

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