After his brother made a name for himself at Duke, Kager Knueppel, the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets star Kon Knueppel and a four-star power forward, became the first player to commit to Duke from the Class of 2027. And one analyst believes Michigan losing Dusty May to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks may have influenced the decision.
During “The Field Of 68: After Dark” podcast on Tuesday, On3 recruitment insider Joe Tipton noted that while Kager Knueppel’s commitment to Duke is not a surprise given that this is where his older brother also played, but Dusty May’s departure to the NBA may have been a factor in the decision.
“I think he wanted to go through the recruiting process a little bit, he had Purdue, he had Michigan offers,” he said. “We saw Dusty (May) take the Mavs job, kind of ruled them out since Boynton is only interim head coach.”
As Tipton noted, the Dusty May move may have led to Kager Knueppel to decide on Duke as Michigan only has an interim coach there at the moment, making the younger brother rule the Wolverines out and eventually lean more towards the overwhelming favorite, Duke.
Kager is considered one of the best shooteing big men in high school right now, being ranked No. 28 overall by 247Sports, as well as their No. 5 power forward and No. 1 player in Wisconsin from the Class of 2027.
Duke Was Already the Overwhelming Favorite Even As Kager Knueppel’s Recruitment Stock Rose
Kager Knueppel is still growing, but he had a significant growth spurt as of late, and this soon led to him having an impressive performance with Team Herro over the summer with the Nike EYBL circuit. Teams have been sending scouts left and right, but insiders were already believing he would ultimately follow his older brother to Duke.
While Kon Knueppel had lived in the shadow of Cooper Flagg at Duke, he eventually rose to become a star of his own once he got to the NBA. With Kager also heading to Durham, many are hoping that he could also rain down shots from distance once he gets there.
Read More:
‘It Wasn’t Like That’: Cameron Boozer Opens Up About Carving His Own Path Beyond His Father’s Legacy
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in baseball, tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
