Kon Knueppel is setting quite the family precedent-on and off the hardwood.
The Charlotte Hornets rookie and former Duke standout isn’t just carving out a name for himself in the NBA; he’s also laying the foundation for a basketball lineage that could be one to watch for years to come. As the oldest of five brothers, Kon’s journey from high school phenom to Division I star and now NBA player has become a blueprint for the Knueppel name. And now, it looks like the next chapter is already being written.
Enter Kager Knueppel.
Kager, currently making waves at Wisconsin Lutheran, is the next brother in line-and he’s already turning heads. Standing at 6-foot-9, he’s got the size, the pedigree, and now, the attention of major college programs. According to Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook’s Mark Miller, Purdue has officially extended a scholarship offer to the rising junior.
That’s no small nod. Purdue has spent time this season sitting atop the national rankings and continues to be one of the premier programs in the country.
When a school like that comes calling, it tends to signal a shift in how the rest of the recruiting world views a player. In other words, this could be the beginning of a major recruiting surge for Kager.
Right now, Kager holds a 4-star rating in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, slotted as the No. 83 player nationally in the Class of 2027. Before Purdue entered the mix, he already had offers from DePaul and Toledo. And there’s a family connection here-Toledo head coach Tod Kowalczyk is actually Kager’s uncle.
But family ties aside, Kager is earning this attention on his own merit. His game is evolving, his profile is rising, and with his frame and bloodline, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’s just scratching the surface.
Having someone like Kon to look up to certainly doesn’t hurt. The path has already been walked, the standard already set. Now it’s Kager’s turn to chase it-and maybe even raise the bar.