By Tom Orsborn, Sports reporter | San Antonio Express-News, 2024-05-16 14:20:02
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2024 年 3 月 23 日，北卡罗来纳州夏洛特：在 NCAA 男子篮球锦标赛第二轮比赛中，田纳西志愿者队球员道尔顿·内克特（3 号）对抗得克萨斯长角牛队球员钱德尔·韦弗（2 号），比赛在光谱中心进行。
芝加哥 — 田纳西州前明星道尔顿·内克特有信心，NBA 球迷无需等候太久就能看到他自称“令人兴奋，势不可挡”的比赛。
他说：“我肯定能立即融入其中，并能取得成绩。”
明智的钱会投入内克特，向这一自夸做出回应。毕竟，他从北科罗拉多大学转学到诺克斯维尔后经历了一次无缝衔接的转变，在本赛季作为第五年后卫，头九场为志愿者队场均得到 20 分，随后成为 SEC 年度最佳球员并获得全美最佳阵容之一的荣誉。
他说：“那是我的队友们。”“从一开始，我的队友们都非常酷，对我非常友好，总是帮助我，告诉我自由发挥。”
从高中时没有排名的球探，开启了他的职业生涯，开始在社区大学行列，到在 SEC 中成为明星，是该队中得分领先的球员，让队伍晋级精英八强，内克特是本赛季大学篮球最精彩的人物之一。
他说：“从社区大学到北科罗拉多大学，再到田纳西州，这肯定是一个疯狂的过程。”“你得以看到大学篮球的所有层面。你绝对能接受这一切，并非常感激。”
23 岁的内克特在 NBA 选秀联合理测中进行体能测试，表现令人惊叹，巩固了他作为前 10 名新秀的地位，一天后，他回忆起了自己不可思议的旅程。
身高 6 英尺 6 英寸，体重 212 磅的内克特在往返跑比赛中创下联合理测的最佳成绩，在往返敏捷比赛中排名第二，垂直跳跃高度达到 39 英寸，位居第三。
他还享受着在外围和中距离投射训练中的出色表现，巩固了他赢得选秀最佳射手之一的声誉。
他说：“我和我的经纪人只想进入选秀联和举办一场表演。”
凭借他出色的接球和投篮以及他凭借技巧和力量在篮筐上投篮的能力，内克特在几份模拟选秀中被预测在第 8 顺位被马刺队选中。
同时拥有第 4 号选秀权的马刺队需要射手为明星中锋文班亚马拉开空间。
虽然内克特需要磨炼防守技巧，但他的投篮技巧确实可以让他立即产生影响。
内克特 36 场比赛为志愿者队场均得到 21.4 分，三分球命中率为 40.5%，每场出手 6.5 次。
他说：“只是重复而已”，他解释自己是怎样成为如此熟练的远程威胁的。
“当我还小的时候，我一直喜欢待在体育馆里。我父亲或一些教练会为我抢篮板，或者我就会跳上器械。我只是投了很多球，相信我付出的努力。”
内克特在科罗拉多州亨德森的普莱德维尤高中担任大四学生时，场均得到 21 分，但由于他大三时只有 5 英尺 6 英寸的身高，所以基本不受大学招生人员的关注。但他在科罗拉多州斯特林的东北社区大学开始引起注意，他在第二学年场均得到 23.9 分、7.5 个篮板和 2.0 次助攻。
北卡罗来纳州夏洛特：2024 年 3 月 23 日，NCAA 男子篮球锦标赛第二轮比赛中，田纳西志愿者队球员道尔顿·内克特（3 号）对阵得克萨斯长角牛队球员迪伦·迪苏（1 号），比赛在光谱中心进行。
经过猛增，他长到了 6 英尺 6 英寸，他决心在北科罗拉多大学打球。2022-23 赛季，他场均得到 20.2 分和 7.2 个篮板，三分球命中率为 38.1%，为野马队效力，这一表现促使包括北卡罗来纳大学、肯塔基大学和堪萨斯大学在内的几所精英大学招募了他。
根据诺克斯维尔新闻哨兵报的报道，他在 2023 年 4 月访问了该校并与志愿者队教练里克·巴恩斯建立了联系后，最终选择了田纳西州。由于航班超额预订，旅行在诺克斯维尔多呆了一天。巴恩斯接送了内克特一家，并担任了他们在诺克斯维尔周围的导游，这段愉快的时光以这位前德克萨斯教练带他们去吃晚餐结束。
从那天起，内克特与巴恩斯紧密相连。
内克特说：“对我来说，我和教练并非只是篮球的关系。”“我们会在训练后出去玩几个小时。我和教练从开始就建立了良好的联系。”
同样从一开始，内克特就为田纳西州闪耀。
他以 10 场 25 分以上的表现结束了这个赛季，其中有六场 30 分的表现和四场 35 分以上的比赛，在输给肯塔基大学的一场比赛中，他的职业生涯最高得分为 40 分。最令人印象深刻的是，他在 NCAA 锦标赛中继续发挥出色，在对阵圣彼得、德克萨斯、克莱顿和普渡的四场比赛中场均得到 26.0 分，同时远程命中率为 40%，每场比赛出手 8.8 次。
内克特以 37 分结束了他的大学生涯，在以 72-66 输给普渡大学的精英八强比赛中以 12 次三分球命中 6 次。
巴恩斯在 3 月份说，这一场比赛突显了内克特在聚光灯下发挥出色光彩的能力。
巴恩斯说：“我见过很多球员，包括我，他们都是相当不错的训练球员，但当聚光灯出现时，他们就没那么好了。”“我只见过少数人（比内克特）在聚光灯出现时发挥得更好。”
内克特预计作为一名职业选手将继续表现出色。
他说：“这就是我的目标。”“我可以立即进入并投篮。”
原文如下：
Spurs draft prospect Knecht had improbable rise to be an SEC star
[Image] CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 23: Dalton Knecht #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers fights for position against Chendall Weaver #2 of the Texas Longhorns during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 23, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
CHICAGO — Former Tennessee star Dalton Knecht is confident NBA fans won’t have to wait long to see what he describes as his “exciting to watch and explosive” game.
“I can definitely be a guy to plug right in and be able to produce,” he said.
The smart money is on Knecht making good on that boast. After all, he experienced a seamless transition after he transferred from Northern Colorado to Knoxville, averaging nearly 20 points over his first nine games for the Volunteers as a fifth-year guard this season en route to becoming player of the year in the SEC and earning first-team All-American honors.
“It was my teammates,” he said. “My teammates from the jump were all super cool to me and super nice, always helping me out and telling me just to play my game.”
From an unranked prospect out of high school who started his career in the junior college ranks to starring in the SEC as the leading scorer on a team that advanced to the Elite Eight, Knecht was one of college basketball’s best stories this season.
“It was for sure a crazy process coming from the JUCO to Northern Colorado to Tennessee,” he said. “You get to see all the levels of college basketball. You for sure get to take it all in and appreciate it a lot.”
Knecht, 23, reflected on his improbable journey a day after an eye-opening performance during testing at the NBA draft combine that solidified his stock as a top-10 prospect.
The 6-foot-6, 212-pound Knecht recorded a combine-best clocking in the shuttle run, finished second in the lane-agility competition and tallied the third-highest vertical jump at 39 inches.
He also enjoyed a lights-out performance in perimeter and mid-range shooting drills, bolstering his reputation as one of the best sharpshooters in the draft.
“Me and my agent just wanted to go into the combine and put on a show,” he said.
With his outstanding catch-and-shoot delivery and his ability to play above the rim with a combination of finesse and strength, Knecht has been projected by several mock drafts to go to the Spurs at No. 8 overall.
The Spurs, who also own the No. 4 pick, are in need of shooters to help space the floor for star center Victor Wembanyama.
While Knecht will need work on the defensive game, his shooting could indeed allow him to make an impact right away.
In 36 games, Knecht averaged 21.4 points for the Volunteers while shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc on 6.5 attempts per game.
“Just repetition,” he said of how he became such a proficient deep threat.
“As a kid I always just loved being in the gym. My dad or some coach would rebound for me or I would just hop on the guns. Just getting a lot of shots up and just trusting the work that I put in.”
Knecht averaged 21 points as a senior at Prairie View High in Henderson, Colo., but was largely ignored by college recruiters because he stood just 5-6 as a junior. But he started gaining attention at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., where he averaged 23.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game as a sophomore.
[Image] CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 23: Dalton Knecht #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers dunks the ball against Dylan Disu #1 of the Texas Longhorns during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 23, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After a growth spurt pushed him to 6-6, he committed to play at Northern Colorado. He averaged 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 38.1% from distance for the Bears in 2022-23, a performance that prompted several elite programs, including North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas, to recruit him.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, he settled on Tennessee after visiting the school in April 2023 and bonding with Volunteers coach Rick Barnes. The trip included an extra day in Knoxville due to an overbooked flight. Barnes picked up the Knechts and served as their tour guide around Knoxville, a fun time that ended with the former Texas coach taking them to dinner.
From that day on, Knecht was tight with Barnes.
“With me and coach, it wasn’t all just basketball,” Knecht said. “We would go hang out after practice for a couple of hours. Me and coach have had a good bond from the jump.”
Also from the start, Knecht was brilliant for Tennessee.
He finished the season with 10 outings of 25 or more points, six 30-point performances and four games of 35 or more points and he tallied a career-best 40 in a loss to Kentucky. Most impressively, he continued his roll in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 26.0 points over four games against St. Peter’s, Texas, Creighton and Purdue while connecting on 40% of his shots from distance on 8.8 attempts per game.
Knecht ended his college career with 37 points on the strength of 6 of 12 from deep in a 72-66 loss to Purdue in the Elite Eight.
That run underscored Knecht’s ability to thrive in the spotlight, Barnes said in March.
“I’ve seen a lot of guys, me included, that were pretty good practice players, but they weren’t as good when those lights came on,” Barnes said. "I’ve seen only a few guys that are better (than Knecht) when the lights come on. "
And Knecht expects to continue to rise to the occasion as a pro.
“That’s my thing,” he said. “I can go in and shoot from day one.”
By Tom Orsborn, Sports reporter , via San Antonio Express-News