By LARRY VAUGHT
Five -star sophomore shooting guard Karter Knox of Tampa is already on the recruiting radar of both Kentucky coach John Calipari and Louisville coach Kenny Payne.However, that’s not a big surprise since his older brother, Kevin, played at Kentucky and was a top 10 NBA draft pick under Calipari and Payne, a UK assistant coach then.ESPN has him as the No. 1 sophomore in the state of Florida and the 10th best recruit in the 2024 class. Another recruiting service has him ranked seventh overall in his class.“Cal is keeping tabs on him. He invited us to Big Blue Madness (last season),” said Kevin Knox Sr. “They are calling just like Kenny Payne is.“He is about 6-6, 205 and wears a size 17 shoe. He’s a big boy but he can play the two guard with no problem.”Karter Knox already has scholarship offers from Arizona State, Boise State and Illinois and figures to add a lot more this summer.Knox Sr. said his youngest son got “beat up” a lot by his brothers Kevin and Kobe, a 6-5 sophomore guard at Grand Canyon College and that made him improve.So how does he compare to Kevin at the same age?“I will tell you what Cal says,” Knox Sr., who won a national championship playing football at Florida State before playing in the NFL, said. “He said, ‘At the same age he is better than Kevin. There is no question. He has a different feel for the game.’“I agree with him, too. Karter is thicker. Kevin came to Kentucky weighing 210 pounds. Karter shoots the ball better. He’s more aggressive, has more swag. He has a different DNA. His body type is just bigger. It’s easy to see why he’s ranked as high as he is already.”Kevin Knox was also only 17 when he got to Kentucky. He’s been in the NBA four years and is still only 22 — that’s younger than some players who might get drafted next month.Karter Knox is a “normal” age for a high school sophomore and his father says he is “trending” to be the best player of his three sons.“When you talk about being the ninth pick in the world (like Kevin was in the NBA Draft), that’s tough to follow,” Knox Sr. said. “But everybody is different and has a different body type. That’s why when you look at playing style at the same age, the difference is night and day between Kevin and Karter. He’s just better at the same age.”