44) BRANDIN KNIGHT

44. Brandin Knight: Pittsburgh - (1999-03) East Orange, NJ

Four seasons: 11.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.2 apg, 2.3 spg.

Co-Player of the Year (2002)

The player generally considered to be the main reason for the program’s recent string of success. As the point guard, the 6’0” Knight was the first called on to buy into then coach Ben Howland’s team first approach. He did so and every Panthers player since has followed his lead for both Howland and now for former Howland right hand man, Jamie Dixon.

“He’s the Einstein of point guards,” Howland has said of Knight. “His basketball I.Q. is unbelievable. Do you know how great it is to have someone like that play for you?”

In his first season, he led all Big East freshman with 5.5 apg and 2.8 spg, and ranked 5th and 2nd in those categories, respectively. As a junior, he was the 2002 Big East Conference Co-Player of the Year when he averaged 15.6 ppg, 7.2 apg, 4.9 rpg, and 2.4 spg.

Finished his career with 1,440 points and is also is 6th in total assists and 7th in total steals in conference history. But what should be most remembered about Knight is that he’s a winner. When he came to Pitt, the program had eight straight seasons without winning 20 games. During Knight’s last two seasons, the Panthers were 57-11 and ended with Pitt’s first ever Big East tournament championship. He is about to begin his first season as an assistant coach for Pitt.

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