Louisville’s roster overhaul brought in plenty of new faces this offseason, but few arrivals carry a built-in storyline quite like Karter Knox.
The Cardinals landed Knox after a hectic spring on the recruiting trail for Pat Kelsey, who spent April and May chasing transfers and came away with the No. 1 Transfer Portal class after adding six players. Knox is one of those additions, and he brings both pedigree and a little extra baggage to Louisville’s locker room.
That baggage comes with a famous family name. Knox was a 5-star recruit out of high school, first committed to Kentucky, then followed John Calipari to Arkansas.
His older brother, Kevin, spent the 2017-18 season with the Wildcats before becoming a first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. So now Karter is headed to Louisville, the biggest rival of the school his brother once starred for.
Asked recently whether there was any anger or awkwardness over the choice, Knox laughed it off and said his brother is fully behind him.
“He wasn’t mad, he is always happy for me,” stated Knox on playing at his brother’s rival. “My family is always happy for me.
Whatever decision I make. They are 100 percent confident it was the right decision for me.
It definitley a little crazy.”
Kevin’s lone season at Kentucky was a strong one. He averaged 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc. He helped Kentucky reach the Sweet 16 in 2018 and scored 20 or more points in 10 games, including a career-high 34 against West Virginia.
Louisville fans will also remember how Kevin fared against the Cardinals. He was held to single digits in six games that season, including the matchup with Louisville, when he finished with eight points on 2-of-8 shooting and 0-of-3 from three.
Karter’s own path has now brought him back into the spotlight in a different uniform. After his first two seasons at Arkansas, he transferred to Louisville as a unanimously ranked 4-star transfer, as high as No. 59 overall in the portal and No. 7 among small forwards. He arrives with the reputation of an athletic forward who can score at a high level and give Kelsey another useful defender.
For Louisville, it’s another talented piece in a rebuilt roster. For the Knox family, it adds a twist to one of college basketball’s biggest rivalries. And the first chance to see it play out comes on December 12, when Louisville visits Kentucky in Lexington.
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