Four outlets—the Associated Press, the NABC, The Sporting News and the USBWA—are used to decide the consensus All-America teams. The aggregate results from those four organizations determine the first-team and second-team selections.
A fifth-year guard, Knecht collected First Team All-America plaudits from each of the four voting bodies, one of four players to do so. The others are North Carolina’s R.J. Davis, Purdue’s Zach Edey and Houston’s Jamal Shead.
Knecht is the fourth consensus First Team All-American in Tennessee history, joining Grant Williams (2018-19), Dale Ellis (1982-83) and Bernard King (1976-77). Both Knecht and Williams played for Rick Barnes.
Additionally, Knecht is just the eighth former junior college player—he played at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., from 2019-21—in the NCAA Tournament era (1938-39 to present) to earn consensus First Team All-America recognition, including the first in 33 years. He joins UNLV’s Larry Johnon (1990-91), St. John’s’ Walter Berry (1985-86), Michigan’s Rickey Green (1976-77), North Carolina’s Bob McAdoo (1971-72), UCLA’s Sidney Wicks (1970-71), Detroit Mercy’s Spencer Haywood (1968-69) and Minnesota’s Dick Garmaker (1954-55).
Knecht, who came to Tennessee from Northern Colorado, is also just the eighth transfer in the NCAA Tournament era to garner consensus First Team All-America designation in his first year competing at a new program. The others are Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe (2021-22), Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson (2009-10), Mississippi State’s Lawrence Roberts (2003-04), North Carolina’s Bob McAdoo (1971-72), Detroit Mercy’s Spencer Haywood (1968-69), Denver’s Vince Boryla (1948-49) and Notre Dame’s Billy Hassett (1944-45). Only 11 others have even notched second-team honors in their first year active for a new program.
Furthermore, just 11 other transfers—12 occurrences, as Indiana State’s Larry Bird did it twice—have been named a consensus First Team All-American in even their second or third season competing for a new school. That list includes the fifth 2023-24 honoree, Tristen Newton of Connecticut.
The SEC Player of the Year from both the league’s head coaches and the Associated Press, the latter unanimously, Knecht enters the NCAA Tournament averaging 21.1 points,…
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