by Alex Schwartz

Florida always has a number of ultra-talented basketball players who garner a lot of national attention. The two best players in the Sunshine State, who happen to be two of the ballers best in America, comprised arguably the premier AAU backcourt in the country. Team Breakdown (FL) was led by Kenny Boynton '09 and Brandon Knight '10, of American Heritage (FL) and Pine Crest (FL) respectively. The duo led the Floridian squad to numerous summer titles including the U-17 National Championship. Although Boynton may get more recognition right now, being that he is a rising senior, Knight may well be the more talented of the two with the most potential. Despite being on the wrong end of a 135-121 game at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic, Brandon stood out as a top performer. I caught up with Knight, a 6'2 point guard, after the game, which took place at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York.

NB: What schools [are] you considering?
BK: Everyone right. I haven’t really even gotten into it, no cutting lists or nothing like that.

NB: Who do you already have offers from?
BK: [There are] a [few] schools, I’m not sure, I’m thinking of Wake Forest, Miami, . . . Syracuse maybe. . . . That’s a [few]. I’m not sure; I don’t really talk to them like that. My dad really does the talking for me.

NB: What are the chances that you and [AAU teammate] Kenny [Boynton of Team Breakdown (FL)] go to school together?
BK: It’s possible, but I can’t really tell you a percentage. I [have] got to see what happens, where he goes, if he likes it, the situation, [and] how he plays. All that will determine if I [want to] go to his school or not.

NB: What are some of the factors you’re looking at in a college?
BK: Right now, just somewhere, maybe not with a good history, it doesn’t have to be good history, just somewhere where I can come in and play, fit in, play my game, [and] not have to change anything around. [Somewhere where] the coach already likes what I do . . . and he can say, ‘you can come into my offense and score, [do] whatever you need to do, just play the way you [have] been playing and you can help our team get better.’

NB: What do you see as the strongest and weakest point of your game?
BK: [For my] strongest [point] I’d probably say—[Pause]. . . . I’m trying to think. [My] strongest [point]? I couldn’t tell you. I think I do a lot of things equally well, but . . . I’d probably say getting . . . to the cup, . . . blowing by that first man. I think my weakest point would be when that help-side [defense] comes, making the right decision or finishing around the rim, something like that is probably my weakest point I think.

NB: What was this experience at the Elite 24 [Classic] like for you?
BK: It was good. You get to play against a lot of [great] people, showcase your skills. There’s a lot of one—on, you get . . . matchups. It [was] a good experience really.

NB: Who was the best player on the floor?
BK: [There were] a lot of great players. I can’t, I can’t tell you a number one. John Wall had an excellent game, [and] Lance [Stephenson] had an excellent game. All the MVPs [Wall, Stephenson, Dominic Cheek, and Maalik Wayns] had good games, so I can’t really tell you who the best player on the floor was.

People could make an argument for both Knight and Boynton as the better player, as neither is clearly a notch above the other. In fact, I ranked Knight #8 and Boynton #9 based off in-game performance at the Elite 24 Classic, showing the two are near equals even when playing against one another. Brandon is a great player with the potential to be even better. Next year he will be without Boynton on the AAU circuit and it will be interesting to see how he performs. Brandon will likely still be fantastic, as he is a highly skilled baller. With or without Kenny Boynton on his side, Brandon Knight is a special player with immense ability.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.