Arkansas men’s basketball and John Calipari have made a major addition with the flipped commitment of McDonald’s All-American wing Karter Knox.
The 6-6, 226-pound Riverview, Fla., native was signed to play for Calipari at Kentucky, but recently reopened his recruitment and has now announced his pledge to the Razorbacks.
Calipari and expected Arkansas assistant coach Chin Coleman visited with Knox in Atlanta at the Overtime Elite Camp last Tuesday.
His older brother, Kevin, attended Kentucky and played under Calipari before being selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft.
“Throughout my whole recruiting process, Coach Cal always said he wants to make me a pro, and I trust that he will do that for me at Arkansas,” Knox told ESPN. “I also have a great relationship with [Razorbacks associate head] Coach Kenny Payne, so getting to play for two coaches I admire is a dream come true.
“I’m looking forward to getting there, getting to work and bringing a winning mentality to Fayetteville.”
Knox is rated as a 4-star prospect, the No. 19 overall player and No. 8 small forward in the 2024 class according to On3.com. Louisville and South Florida were amongst the finalists in his initial recruitment.
He scored 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting with a made three-pointer at the McDonald’s All-American Game in Houston on April 2. He spent last season with Overtime Elite, averaging 23.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1 steal per game.
Knox had a stellar 2022-23 campaign and shined on the big stage where he combined to average 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds through the City of Palms and Beach Ball Classic in December 2022.
Knox helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup, averaging 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Here is a look at Knox’s most recent scouting report by On3.com National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw:
“Karter Knox is a lengthy and explosive wing. His frame is very projectable and already physically developed, and he has broad shoulders with arms that flow down. He should add good weight relatively easily once he gets to a college strength and conditioning program.
“He is a straight-line driver off the bounce. Gets into the paint and violently attacks the rim, playing way above it. He plays well out of the dunker spot, is an apt backdoor cutter, and attacks the offensive boards. Would like to see him develop the jump shot more, at least become average in the catch-and-shoot.”