Men’s basketball adds another guard with JC transfer

The Utah State basketball team has added another player to it ranks in the form of junior college transfer John Knight III.

Knight III, a 6-foot-2 Mississippi native, will transfer to USU after completing one season at Southwest Mississippi Community College. In the 2017-18 season, Knight appeared in 21 games — starting 15 — and averaged 14.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 31.0 minutes per game.

In a statement released by Utah State’s athletic department, Craig Smith praised the play-making ability of the incoming sophomore.

“John is a play-making guard that we feel will really thrive in our system,” Smith said in the release. “He brings size and athleticism to our backcourt. John is a guy that can get downhill on opponents and put pressure on the rim. He does a great job of creating contact and getting to the free throw line. His defensive instincts will also have a big impact on that end of the floor for us.”

On Twitter, Knight III released a personal statement regarding his decision, thanking God as well as his family members and coaches for “pushing me to my best potential and for the many great memories over the past year.”

During his lone season with SMCC, Knight III led his team with 174 free throws (8.2 per game), shooting 72.4 percent from the line. He was second on the team in points per game and, excluding the first five games of the Bears’ season (which Knight III missed), he was the team’s leading scorer with 301 points.

Knight III scored in double figures 15 times and surpassed 20 points on five occasions. He also showed off all-around skill, totalling nine games with five rebounds and eight games with five assists.

Defensively, Knight III was an impact player, leading his team in blocks (as a guard) with 2.1 per game and was second in steals per game at 1.3. He had nine games with three blocks — including a pair of five-block games against Meridian and Copiah-Lincoln — and four games of three steals, with a season-high four against Mississippi Delta.

Kight III joins guard Tauriawn Knight and center Ben Fakira in first-year head coach Craig Smith’s first recruiting class at USU.