Nation’s No. 9 basketball prospect to play in John Wall Invitational

The John Wall Invitational will feature some of the top prospects in the country.

But none bigger than Tampa Catholic’s Kevin Knox, the No. 9 ranked recruit in the nation, according to 247sports.com, and No. 2 at his position in the class of 2017. He’s also being recruited by Duke and North Carolina.

Knox, 17, is 6-9, 205 pounds. Many people describe him as a “point-forward,” a big man who can bring the ball up court. He’s played the last two summers for Team USA.

Don Dziagwa, Knox’s coach at Tampa Catholic, said when he arrived in ninth grade, he was a “skinny, 6-4 kid.” But it was his work ethic that helped him become one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the country. He grew a few inches over the next few years, and during his junior season, Knox averaged 30 points per game.

Also on his list of schools Knox, a senior, will visit are Kentucky, Alabama and Florida State. Knox has had his official visit to Duke and will visit UNC in February.

Before this season, Tampa Catholic was ranked in the top 100 in the country by Max Preps. Tampa Catholic will play in the tournament’s TJ Warren bracket and faces Cary at 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday.

The John Wall Invitational boy’s tournament will be at Broughton High, Tuesday through Friday.

Who to watch

▪  Garner High’s Alex Reed, considered a two-star recruit, is undecided. The 6-4, 211-pound forward has helped lead the Trojans to a 7-1 record.

▪  Heritage’s Jarren McAllister, a 6-3, 165-pound junior guard committed to Virginia Tech in June. Heritage is 8-0.

▪  Heritage’s Jayden Gardner, a 6-7, junior big man, averages 23.8 points and 14.6 rebounds per game. Gardner is undecided.

▪  Ravencroft’s Ian DuBose, a 6-4, 210-pound senior guard, is averaging 19.9 points per game. DuBose signed his letter of intent with Houston Baptist.

▪  Cary’s Donte Tatum, a 6-1, 184-pound senior guard, averaged 18.7 points per game for Cary last year, and helped lead them to the state championship game. He has offers from Fayetteville State, Campbell, Western Carolina, Belmont Abbey, S.C. State and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

▪  Leesville Road’s Jalen Benjamin, a sophomore guard and son of former N.C. State four-year starter Ishua Benjamin.

▪  Broughton’s Carson McCorkle is a 6-1, 170-pound freshman. He is 14, and has offers from N.C. State, Iowa and Georgia Tech.

▪  Jay M. Robinson’s Lavar Batts, a 6-2, 160-pound, senior point guard, is the No. 1 rated recruit in the state and No. 98 overall, according to 247sports.com. He has committed to Virginia Commonwealth.

▪  Millbrook’s Jordan Whitfield is a 6-1, 170-pound, senior point guard. He averages 12.7 points and 4.2 assists per game and has committed to Campbell.

▪  Southern Durham’s Jomaru Brown is a 6-2, 165-pound junior guard. He averages 17.7 points per game.

▪  Southern Durham’s J’Tori Christmas is a 5-10, 158-pound junior guard. He averages 14.4 points per game.

This story was originally published December 25, 2016 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Nation’s No. 9 basketball prospect to play in John Wall Invitational."