Photo credit: Zac Bellman-USA TODAY NETWORK
Duke Basketball Recruiting Prize Kon Knueppel Cannot Be Stopped
Wisconsin Lutheran has darted out to a 10-0 start on the back of Duke basketball signee Kon Knueppel. Last season, as a junior, the 6-foot-6, 215-pound surefooted sharpshooter averaged 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Thus far this go-round, he's bumped those numbers considerably to 24.9, 10.8, and 5.6 per outing.
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And Knueppel, a beyond-his-years five-star who ranks No. 16 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, is shooting 54.7 percent from the field, 43.1 percent beyond the arc, and 84.7 percent at the foul line.
Sure, his competition is typically only Division 2 caliber in Wisconsin. However, facing a quality opponent in Wednesday night's 83-73 win over St. Thomas More as part of the Rick Majerus WBY Shootout at Concordia University, Knueppel finished with 30 points, eight boards, six dimes, and one block.
He shot 8-for-9 from the field, 2-for-3 from deep, and 12-for-15 at the charity stripe.
It was the third time this season and second in the team's past three contests that the 18-year-old Knueppel has tallied 30 points or more.
Yes, his advanced abilities as a three-level bucket-getter, solid-frame rebounder, and instinctive distributor should give him a chance to earn consistent minutes from the get-go for next season's Blue Devils.
Kon Knueppel committed to Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer less than a week after returning from his September official visit with the Blue Devils. A month later, he checked out the program again, attending Countdown to Craziness and helping Scheyer land then-undecided five-stars Cooper Flagg and Patrick Ngongba II.
They're part of a five-deep, all-signed class that ranks No. 1 in the country and might not yet be 100 percent complete.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.