John Calipari: Kevin Knox could be NBA draft steal

DESTIN — If you believe NBA mock drafts, former Tampa Catholic star Kevin Knox will probably be picked somewhere in the bottom half of the lottery selections.

That would be a mistake, according to his college coach.

"I think people will look back and say, 'Why did people pass those first seven picks, six picks?' " Kentucky coach John Calipari said during this week's SEC meetings at the Hilton Sandestin. "And it was because he's young. He's the youngest player in the draft. Mentally he's not. Physically he's young, and it's going to take him time."

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Knox, a 6-foot-9 forward, was the SEC's co-freshman of the year during his only college season. He led the Wildcats in scoring (15.8 points per game) and 3-pointers (57), and only seven freshmen in program history scored more points than Knox did (576).

That early success led Knox to fulfill his goal of becoming a one-and-done college player, and it should be enough for him to become a lottery pick, too.

So how might he do in the NBA?

"He's going to do great," Calipari said. "He's going to do great."