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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rick Barnes pulled Dalton Knecht off the court after a practice in February.
Tennessee’s basketball coach and his star player disappeared down the tunnel of Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. He had a lesson to teach Knecht and knew the only place to do it.
Barnes marched toward a lower basketball hoop in the underbelly of the arena. He ducked, sliding under the rim and through the net. Barnes stood right in the center of the rim and stared at Knecht.
“He said, ‘If I can fit in this hoop, there’s no reason you can’t put a basketball in there,’” Knecht said.
The wisdom of how big a basketball hoop is came amid a baffling free throw slump for Knecht. He returned Saturday in the dangerous final 10 seconds of an NCAA Tournament game. Knecht was precise, hitting four clutch free throws to send second-seeded Tennessee (26-8) to the Sweet 16 with a 62-58 victory against Texas.
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“He showed that he had confidence in me and when the season was on the line, I got it done,” Knecht said.
Rick Barnes’ lesson that helped Dalton Knecht in Tennessee vs. Texas
Knecht returned to the court after Tennessee’s four-point loss to South Carolina on January 30. His family sat on the bench and watched. They knew the routine.
He made 150 free throws before leaving, the mental and physical bloodshed of a 6-for-10 performance after a 3-for-7 performance at Vanderbilt.
“We know it was a little crazy for him,” assistant coach Rod Clark said. “We know he was putting pressure on himself to make free throws. “He just had to be himself.”
Knecht is the best shooter Tennessee has had under Barnes and one of the best in program history. He is shooting 76.5% on free throws and his slight troubles with free throws in February led to Knecht often staying after practice. The Northern Colorado transfer routinely returned to Pratt Pavilion to film late into the night.
Barnes sat on the court a lot during those post-practice sessions, giving advice on his movement and free throw shooting. Knecht’s triple has an exquisite and dizzying trajectory. His free throws came out lower, flat instead of having good air underneath. Barnes preached more elevation.
Barnes got into Knecht’s mind to add arc and shoot the ball with confidence. He did just that with Tennessee’s season on the line to propel the Vols to Detroit and a meeting with No. 3 seed Creighton (25-9) on Friday.
“Every time I get to the line I have confidence that I’m one of the best free throw shooters in college basketball,” said Knecht, who had 18 points and nine rebounds against the seventh-seeded Longhorns (21-13). .
Dalton Knecht led Tennessee home in Sweet 16 bracket
Barnes was the first person to greet Knecht in the Tennessee game with 8.8 seconds left against Texas.
“Coach Barnes said, ‘Shoot and take us home,’” Knecht said.
Knecht grabbed a rebound when the Vols led by three and was fouled. It was the situation Knecht dreamed of when he practiced free throws with his father, Corey, when he was a child. The clutch shots. The big heart rate. The breathing. Everything that goes inside.
There was no doubt at the actual moment.
“DK is made for this,” guard Josiah-Jordan James said. “We trust him and his confidence leads us in many categories. He got us to this point.”
Knecht scored the first, the decisive one-on-one goal. He hit second for a five-point lead. Texas hit a three-pointer, cutting the lead to 60-58 and called a timeout.
Knecht wanted the ball when the Vols planned an entry play. He was never going anywhere else. His teammates told him that it was his time, his chance to seal the game.
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“Before I finished the sentence they told me, ‘Go get it,'” Knecht said.
Knecht ran toward teammate Zakai Zeigler and caught the pass before being fouled. He leaned over at the free throw line with 3.8 seconds left. He easily got the first one right. With the second he scored the decisive advantage of four points.
There were no doubts for any of his teammates. For Knecht, if possible, the internal doubts were even minor. He was perfect and let Clark know it.
“He said, ‘That’s why you brought me here,’” Clark said. “I was like, ‘Beep beep, you’re right.’ “
Knecht was confident because that’s who he is, even if his curious fights needed some training from Barnes. Come to think of it, Knecht said Saturday, that whole scene in February seemed like Tennessee had cut down a net and put one over Barnes.
Thanks to that lesson and Knecht having fulfilled it, maybe the Vols can still make that happen.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you to access all of this.
