Boys basketball: Karter Knox selected for McDonald’s All-American Game — Jan. 23, 2024

Former Tampa Catholic standout Karter Knox, a 6-foot-6 guard, was selected for the McDonald’s All-American Game to be held April 2 in Houston.

Knox, a five-star recruit, becomes the sixth area high school player ever selected for the game, the first since his older brother, former Crusaders star Kevin Knox II, in 2017.

The others: Tampa Prep’s Casey Sanders (1999), Boca Ciega’s David White (1987), Brandon’s Dwayne Schintzius (1986) and Sickles’ John Henson (2009).

Karter, now at Overtime Elite, likely will wait until March to make his decision on where to play next season, according to his father, Kevin Knox Sr. 

In October, the coveted prospect narrowed his choices to four landing spots: Kentucky, Louisville, the NBA G League Ignite and South Florida. 

There are family ties to the three colleges on the list. 

Kentucky is where his older brother, Kevin Knox II, played for one season before becoming a lottery pick with the New York Knicks in the 2018 NBA Draft. One of Kevin’s assistant coaches with the Wildcats was Kenny Payne, now the head coach at Louisville. 

The most intriguing team on the list is USF. The prospects of staying home became more enticing when Karter’s older brother, Kobe, transferred from Grand Canyon to USF this offseason. 

The Bulls, under first-year coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, have made a heavy push to land Karter, who was named the Class 3A state player of the year by the Florida Dairy Farmers after leading the Crusaders to the state semifinals as a junior this past season.  

Karter also could opt to play one year for the NBA G League Ignite, a developmental team designed for elite NBA prospects, before entering the draft. 

Karter was intent on leading Tampa Catholic to a state title this season, something that his older brother, Kevin, was unable to do during his career at the school.

But the opportunity to play for the Overtime Elite, a professional league for players ages 16-20 who can option to play for a salary or a scholarship in order to keep their college eligibility intact, was too good to pass up. Karter also has the chance to earn multiple NIL deals, which played a significant part in his decision on where to play his senior season.  

Joining his older brother as a McDonald’s All-American was a goal Karter had entering this season. Now that he has accomplished that, he becomes one of the few brother acts to ever play in high school basketball’s biggest showcase game.