Who Are Dalton Knecht’s Parents? Deep Dive into No. 2 Seed Tennessee’s NPOY Contender’s Family

Dalton Knecht is a rising superstar from the Tennessee Volunteers roster. However, there is a lot to know about this guy and the background that he comes from. Beginning with the fact that he quite literally got a second bite at the cherry, owing to the extra year he received due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, turns out that even before becoming a part of the second-seeded Tennessee, Knecht left a huge legacy behind at Northern Colorado.

One thing that also attracts people to him is his family background, which too, comes in handy as a basketball prodigy.

Who are Dalton Knecht’s parents?

Dalton and his entire family come from North Dakota. Apparently, both his parents have great experience as basketball players. Dalton’s mother, Carrie Knecht, was a high school baller. While not a lot is known about her WBB career, her skills have surely impacted the 6 ft 6 in Tennessee star. Further, the evergreen support from his mother has brought Dalton to the point that today he stands tall with several accolades to his name and is known as the missing ingredient in Tennessee’s men’s basketball team.

Surprisingly, fifth-year guard’s father — Corey Knecht — was also a basketball player. With a decent balling background at the Mayville State University, North Dakota, Corey was a phenomenal point guard. Dalton not only got the height gene from his father who is 6 ft 3 in, but also the basic knowledge of the sport. Seemingly, the two used to watch basketball games, when Dalton was just 6 years old.

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As he grew up, the father and son bond grew stronger as they would fiercely practice their skills at the ball in a local indoor stadium. According to sources, the duo would practice on the weekends from 10 am to 1.30 pm at the gym. Once the week started, Dalton would put his training to work. Moreover, Corey still calls his son and his coaches asking about feedback and critiquing his performance after every game.

Clearly, Dalton Knecht comes from a long line of ballers with full support from both his parents. In fact, his fifth-year transfer to Tennessee may also have been a big question. However, it all came to fruition as the NPOY contender is one of the best-known players in Division I men’s college basketball today.

How did Dalton Knecht perform before Tennessee?

As a high school basketball player at 5 ft 4 in, Knecht averaged 21 points while also grabbing 6.5 rebounds. His college career includes many names, but it all began as the point guard for Northeastern Junior College. His late-blooming years brought him a couple of inches as he started in his freshman and sophomore years.

Between the two seasons, he immensely improved his game. He averaged a decent 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game as a freshman. But the numbers turned to 23.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in his sophomore year. He then chose to commit to Northern Colorado for his upcoming college years. Although he did reign over the Big Sky Conference with 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds as a senior, it wasn’t enough for him.

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Instead of playing a waiting game, Dalton jumped the bandwagon. He used the extra year provided to the active athletes of the year 2020-21 to pursue a better resume. He then transferred through the NCAA portal to Tennessee. And as evident by his multiple titles from the SEC, he indeed was an essential aspect for the Volunteers.

Knecht’s impact on the Vols

While Tennessee was never a weak team and has appeared 9 times in the NCAA tournament since 2010, it surely needed a push towards a greater tourney. The one advancer that they needed appeared in 2023 in the form of Dalton Knecht. He brings his offensive prowess to the roster, upscaling their scoring average and overall stats.

Previously, in 2022-23, Tennessee only climbed to the second round of the March Madness despite being SEC champions. They also collected an average of 71.8 points while shooting 43.7 from the field and 71.4 from the free throw line. Their 3-pt average was 32.9 throughout that season. They would also grab 38.7 rebounds and dished out 16.9 assists with a 12.1 turnover rate. Further, their scoring leader Santiago Vescovi would only contribute 12.5 ppg.

However, with Dalton leading the troops, Tennessee has brought out amazing numbers on their scorecard this season. In fact, Knecht grabbed almost double the scores as Vescovi last year. Currently, he is bringing 21.1 points per game in an average of 30 minutes on the floor. He shoots 46.5 from the field goal and 76.4 from the free throw line. The motivated guard also grabs 4.7 rebounds while having a 39.7% beyond-the-arc accuracy.

Along with Dalton Knecht, the Vols are averaging 79.5 ppg while maintaining all the stats of their previous years, only a little better. On the flip side, today, Knecht is the only SEC player to grab over 35 points in three consecutive games. He has also contributed over 40 points in the last few games.

It is really interesting to see how Carrie and Corey imparted their vision to their son and how effectively he is displaying it on the floor. As the March Madness begins in a few days, it will be worth watching how the No.2 seed Tennessee performs on the hardwood.

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