What Tennessee's Dalton Knecht said Monday after being named SEC Player of the Year

Everything Tennessee senior wing Dalton Knecht said Monday afternoon after being named the SEC’s Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC:

How he heard he had won SEC Player of the Year

“Mary-Carter (Tennessee basketball director of operations Mary-Carter Eggert) told me when I was in the training room. And then Jonas told me as well. Both of them came at the same time.”

His reaction to hearing the news 

“It was for sure a real cool moment. You know, got a crazy award. It was a lot of hard work and big shout out to my teammates and the coaching staff.”

If this was a goal of his when he came to Tennessee 

“I mean, of course I always wanted to be player of the year, to be real cool. But I also knew it was a lot of hard work. And just real happy I got it and real big shout out to my teammates and coaching staff.” 

If it has surprised him that he’s been more productive and efficient in the SEC than he was at Northern Colorado last season

“Yeah, that is crazy. I mean that is wild to think about that. I didn’t even know about that. So that’s real crazy. I mean you play with one of the best point guards in the nation and center in Jonas (Aidoo) and Z (Zakai Zeigler), so it’s real. They make it a lot easier for me just to go out and go hoop.”

Where he feels like his game has improved the most at Tennessee

“Obviously defense and just learning the overall game. Like how (with) one dribble I could attack a gap. And (how) I could shift the secondary defender rather than just worrying about my guy. So just learning the overall game with Coach (Barnes).”

If he had talked to his parents since winning the award

“I haven’t talked to them yet, but they texted me and they just said like super proud, but you still got the regular or the SEC tourney and the big one. So it’s a cool accomplishment, but at the same time, we’re ready to win the SEC tourney and win the big one.”

Which game proved to him that he could play at this level, if it was the Michigan State exhibition like Rick Barnes has said

“I knew I could always do that and it finally just put me on the map. That was the first game against a great team that I could go out and showcase what I could do and it finally put me on the map. Tennessee’s been on the map, so just being a part of that. 

When he knew he belonged at this level or if he came to Tennessee knowing he belonged

“I knew I kind of belonged, as well as like the coaching staff. They always told me I would belong and I could do all these things and accomplish all this and stuff like that when I came on my visit. So it was kind of just listening to them and following a blueprint that they had when I came on my visit.” 

What today’s version of Dalton Knecht would say to the Dalton Knecht that first showed up on campus in April

“Embrace it as much as you can. It goes by super quick. It feels like I just stepped on campus a couple days ago, a couple weeks ago. So I would just say take it all in a lot more. Because I took it in a lot, but also it just went by super quick.” 

If someone told him a year ago that he would be in this spot, as one of the top college prospects in the NBA Draft after one season at Tennessee

“I wouldn’t know what to say. I would be speechless. Like that’s just a crazy accomplishment, or just something to hear. So that’s really cool. A big reason is my teammates just putting me in those spots and making it super easy and embracing me since I first stepped on campus. They’ve been super helpful as well as the coaching staff.”

How he’s preparing for the SEC Tournament and the potential to play three games in three days

“Just going to watch a lot of film about the Kentucky game and stuff like that and overall the whole entire season and just get ready for it. We kind of did that in Hawaii (play three games in three days), so we’ll be ready for it and we’ll be excited just to go take on the SEC tourney.”

What’s gone into him maintaining his level of play consistently throughout the season

“I’d just say just trying to be in the cold tub as much as possible and recovery. Listen to Chad (Newman), our trainer and ‘G’ (Garrett Medenwald), the strength conditioning coach. Just listen to them as much as I can to take care of my body because that’s something I feel like I need to get better at. And just maintain, always staying consistent and keeping my body healthy.”

How different the approach from a physical standpoint is than maybe the things he’s done in the past

“It’s been a lot more. You got tons of technology and stuff that mid-majors really don’t got and the resources, so you kind of just get to take it all in and it’s kind of cool just to have those resources and the availability.”

His reaction to Zakai Zeigler winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year

“I was happy for him. I came over to him, congratulated him ’cause I know he, he’s one of the best defenders in the nation, if not the best. I knew it was a lot of hard work, especially coming off last year and it’s a big accomplishment for him to get that.”

His ability to do interviews now compared to before he got to Tennessee

“Oh, I mean, I got better ever since I touched down here. I was terrible so I feel like I got a lot better and just a lot more calmed down ever since I’ve done these.”

How much the Tennessee basketball program has given him

“It gave me everything. The whole entire coaching staff, every single day, I’d ask ’em to come shoot or rebound or anything, they would always do it and like just learning from my teammates and the coaching staff. It’s just special here. This is just one of the most like craziest years I’ve ever been a part of and this is really just a dream come true. “

Why he trusted the blueprint and the coaching staff despite not having much of a relationship beforehand

“It started with (Rod Clark). He was the first one to hit me up out of the portal. Me and Rod, he knew my JUCO. He had family members and friends that played there so he knew quite a bit about Northeastern, so it was kind of that and just creating a bond right away. We talked for about 30 minutes and then about an hour the next call and then I was ready to come on my visit and obviously you guys know (Kevin Durant) is my idol and to get to be with Coach Barnes. So yeah, just created that special bond with RC and trusted the process. He was straight up with me the whole entire time.”

What his teammate’s reaction after they found out he won SEC Player of the Year

“They just congratulated me, gave me big hugs and stuff and they just told me there was no doubt that I should have gotten that award and stuff, and congrats to all my hard work and stuff like that.”

What makes Zakai Zeigler such a great defensively point guard

“Obviously you can just go with the speed and stuff but also just the understanding of the game. Like he knows how to change the game and when to turn up the other guy, the other point guard and when to heat them up and stuff. So just him knowing the game overall game.”

If there was a game during SEC play where he realized he could play at this level

“I feel like I’ve always thought I could play at this level, so I just think it was just playing with tons of confidence and it’s a big shoutout to my teammates for being super confident. During timeouts they would always tell me just to go out and hoop and I mean there’s a big shout out to all my teammates.”

If he has a favorite play from the season

“Man, I don’t know. I couldn’t decide on one so yeah, I don’t know. Probably something during like the Auburn game or something. It’d be more of like a team thing would be my favorite.”

Staying focused after everything they’ve already learned

“Yeah, we just checked one of our goals, win the SEC, and now we gotta move on to the SEC tourney. We know we want to get another ring, so just add that SEC tourney ring and go out and win that, and then go out and compete in the big one, and stand out on top.”