Tennessee coach Rick Barnes watches Dalton Knecht before Grizzlies-Lakers

On By Littum

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht was warming up before Wednesday’s game against the Grizzlies at FedExForum when he saw an old friend walk onto the court.

It was Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes who surprised the former Volunteers player. UT beat Gardner-Webb in Knoxville on Monday night, but Barnes made time to travel to Memphis to watch Knecht make his first career NBA start.

“I just love him to death,” Barnes told The Commercial Appeal before the game. “He’s so excited. But I love the fact that every time I’m with him, he tells me how much he misses Knoxville and being around us. It was really a pleasure for us to be able to spend a year together. “

Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draftrose quickly in the draft during his one season in Knoxville. He arrived after stops at Northeastern Junior College and Northern Colorado, but quickly established himself as a dynamic star with the Volunteers, leading Tennessee to the Elite Eight and winning SEC Player of the Year.

The Volunteers ultimately lost in the Elite Eight to Purdue, which was led by the Grizzlies’ No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey, and there had been plenty of fans hoping the Grizzlies would take Knecht, not Edey, in the draft.

Barnes remembers watching Knecht in last season’s Tennessee-Michigan State exhibition game and realizing he had a different kind of player.

“We knew when he got on campus,” Barnes said. “The players talked about how well he could score, how tough he was, how competitive he was, athletic. And of course I was on him every day about playing defense.”

Barnes wasn’t the only person wearing Tennessee colors at FedExForum. There are plenty of Tennessee alums in the Bluff City, and orange was strewn throughout the arena, fans who came to see Knecht.

That included Grizzlies season ticket holder Gordon Summerfield, who also happens to be a Volunteers fan. He was wearing orange but said he still hoped the Grizzlies would win.

“He was the guy that took us to the next level,” Summerfield said. “Barnes had some good classes, but he was the superstar. And he just plays the game right.”

Knecht came in averaging 7.9 points in his first seven NBA games. He scored three points and grabbed four rebounds in the Grizzlies’ 131-114 win, but left early after being hit in the face. He was not made available after the game.

“Been underrated my whole life, from middle school to my old school and stuff,” Knecht said earlier in the day at shootaround. “I feel like I’ve been underrated my whole life, so I always have a chip on my shoulder.”

Reach sportswriter Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or at X @thejonahdylan.