The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ONE Bahamian native is ready to help the Houston Cougars men’s basketball programme make a transition to the new-look Big East this fall.

Danrad Knowles is eagerly looking forward to his NCAA debut after being ruled ineligible for his true freshman season last year at Houston.

“I’m just happy to get the monkey off my back. I haven’t played an official game in a year, but I’ve never stopped working. I’m just excited to get out on the floor and start playing again,” he said. “I just want to get out there and prove myself. Put myself on the big stage and make the most of it for myself and for my country.”

Coming out of high school, the six-foot 10-inch forward was 13th at his position nationally, 10th in the region and seventh in the state of Texas.

Knowles was ranked 51st in the ESPN top 100, according the ESPN with a scout’s grade of 94. He officially joins a Houston programme which features redshirt junior Mikhail McClean and will welcome sophomore transfer LJ Rose, giving the team a strong Bahamian connection in the trio.

The connection to the city of Houston and to other players that have been a part of Frank Rutherford’s Development Programme was one of the reasons the much sought after recruit decided to stay in-state and suit up for the Cougars.

“It will be good to have Bahamians on the team. Mikhail is like my second big brother because we used to practice a lot together so having him and LJ there will make the transition easier,” he said.

“I just wanted to stay in Houston. It’s been a real second home to me. I miss home a lot so I didn’t want to have that experience of leaving a comfortable environment for the second time. I have a lot of ties here, and I know people that will look out for me so I thought it was a good decision to stay,” he said.

“I still talk to the other guys in the programme on a consistent basis. Wannah [Bail], Mike [Carey], Kendall [Devaux], Tristan [Curtis], Mavin [Saunders], my cousin Tavario [Miller], we’re all cool and we like to share in each other’s success.”

Bail and Saunders will also make their NCAA debuts this fall as members of the UCLA Basketball and Florida State football programmes respectively.

Knowles, a face-up forward, has a shooting range beyond 20 feet, runs the floor and is a capable shot blocker. He said he made the transition from a transitional “big” to the player he is today.

“Everything is different, the speed is probably the biggest difference. Everybody is athletic, everybody can do something special like dribble, shoot, play in the post, but I just had to adjust. I added wing skills, I added a jumpshot, better ballhandling and the work in the weight room and classroom, were especially important,” he said.

“If you’re over 6’2” in the Bahamas you’re considered a big, so I went there [to Houston] with that mentality and was forced to adjust. People here will help you to develop. They try to give you the right tools to help you develop. My AAU coaches were huge in that regard and helped me to be the player I am today. They put me on the big stage so I can get noticed by college coaches from around the world so it was very important. My AAU coaches also helped raise me as a player and as a man for two years so that was definitely important.”

Knowles, who admitted he got off to a slow start in the game, is now poised to prove that he belongs to play at the highest level.

“I started playing basketball when I was a kid. I just loved it and I always wanted to play it. Once I grew into my body and started getting taller, it became a legit opportunity that was available to me. I watched it on TV like most Bahamians so it influenced me to play even more,” he said. “From there I got scouted early by Frank Rutherford. He brought me over, he thought I had a good opportunity, and he was right I did have that opportunity and I proved myself to a lot of people that I can actually play on this level in the US. This fall, I’m ready to go and a lot of people will get an opportunity to see that as well.”