Dalton Knecht on his return to Knoxville: 'It's home for me'
Dalton Knecht came back home on Friday. The former one-and-done Tennessee Basketball transfer star turned first-round pick in the NBA Draft was back in Knoxville Friday afternoon working out inside Pratt Pavilion and watching the Vols practice at the Food City Center.
“The city of Knoxville, words can’t describe it, it’s special,” Knecht said in a social media video published by Tennessee. “When I come back here, it’s electric, it’s special. It’s home for me. They have the best facilities in the nation.
“Love coming back here, checking the facilities out, just seeing all that type of stuff, just seeing the coaches and teammates and the rest of the people is just great.”
DK's home 🧡 pic.twitter.com/ipZV1zdMcL
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) September 13, 2024
After starring at Tennessee last season and leading the Vols to the Elite Eight, Knecht was picked at No. 17 overall in the first round of the NBA Draft on June 26
On July 3 he signed his rookie contract that, according to Spotrac, was worth $18.4 million over four years, with $7.8 million guaranteed at signing. Knecht was the No. 17 overall pick in last week’s NBA Draft.
According to the Spotrac numbers, Knecht will make $3.8 million as a rookie in 2024-25, then $4.01 million in 2025-26. The third and fourth years of the deal includes club options, with Knecht set to make $4.2 million in 2026-27 and $6.4 million 2027-28.
Dalton Knecht: ‘I feel like I’ve been underrated my whole entire life’
The 6-foot-6, 213-pound Knecht transferred to the Vols from Northern Colorado. He was a consensus First Team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year after averaging 21.7 points per game and 25.5 points in SEC play.
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Knecht scored a career-high 40 points against Kentucky in his final game at Food City Center. He scored 30 or more points in eight games, 20 or more points in 19 games and 10 or more points in 32 of Tennessee’s 36 games.
“I feel like I’ve been underrated my whole entire life,” Knecht said during the NBA Draft process, “ever since I was coming out of high school. I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder, and to this day I’ll always have that chip on my shoulder to go out there and prove people wrong.”
Tennessee Basketball hosting two top-20 recruits on official visits
It’s a big weekend for Tennessee Basketball on the recruiting trail. The Vols are hosting two prospects ranked in the top 20 nationally on official visits, in five-star power forward Chris Cenac and four-star shooting guard Darius Adams.
The 6-foot-10, 210-pound Cenac is out of New Orleans and is ranked among the elite. He’s the No. 5 overall player in the 2025 class according to the On3 Ratings and is ranked No. 2 among power forwards. He’s the No. 1 overall in the state of Missouri, where he recently transferred to Link Academy.
The 6-foot-4 Adams is the No. 20 overall player in the 2025 class according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He’s the No. 6 shooting guard and the No. 2 player in the state of Indiana, where he attends La Lumiere School.
