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Kon Knueppel's freshman season at Duke University has gone about as well as possible.
The Wisconsin Lutheran High School alumnus heads into the Final Four averaging 14.4 points per game for the Blue Devils, who meet Houston on Saturday in the national semifinal.
Knueppel, a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, adds 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a 40% mark from three-point range.
While the presumed No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, Duke's Cooper Flagg, has understandably grabbed headlines, Knueppel has been the perfect Robin to Flagg's Batman, and both are trending toward becoming lottery picks in the 2025 NBA draft.
But first, they're looking for that national championship.
Here's more about the 2024 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball, who along with his Duke teammates face the Cougars at 7:49 p.m. CT Saturday in San Antonio.
The freshman is 6-foot-7. He weighs 217 pounds.
Knueppel played in all 38 games for Duke this season, starting each game. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He shot 40% from three-point range and 91% at the free-throw line.
Duke went 35-3 through the first two weekends of the NCAA tournament, holding its No. 1 seed all the way to the Final Four. The closest call: A 100-93 win over Arizona in the Sweet 16.
Knueppel, picking up a heavier load when Flagg was injured, was named the ACC Tournament MVP, averaging 21 points and 5.7 rebounds during the tournament. He went on to earn all-East Region honors after averaging 20.5 points over the past two games.
Knueppel earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors in the first week of the season and went on to land a spot on the all-freshman team for the regular season. He was named second-team all-conference.
Knueppel was born to play basketball at a high level.
Both of his parents were prolific scorers at the collegiate level. Knueppel's father, Kon, and mother, Chari Nordgaard Knueppel, each finished their careers as the leading scorers in their program's history.
His dad scored 2,064 points at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and was a four-time (1995-1998) All-Lake Michigan Conference selection. He held the scoring mark until 2019.
Knueppel's mom remains the all-time leading scorer at UW-Green Bay with 1,964 points during her career (1995-99). Chari, who was the Horizon League Player of the Year in 1999, had her jersey retired earlier this year, one of just three in the program with the honor.
She also ranks first in many other categories, including career scoring average (16.8 ppg), free throws made (538) and attempted (697), third in field goals (709) and fifth in both rebounds (862) and blocked shots (116).
His rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed by national publications.
Check out this great behind-the-scenes look by Green Bay Press Gazette writer Scott Venci, telling the story of how Chari organizes trips to see her son play and balances the schedules of the other kids in the family.
Matt Norlander of CBS Sports wrote a portrait of Knueppel that landed Thursday, as did John Fanta of Fox Sports, the latter called "The Legend of Kon."
Multiple mock drafts for the 2025 NBA draft have Knueppel being a first-round lottery pick.
His ball-handling skills, shooting prowess and strength were praised as assets that any NBA team would covet, among mock drafts.
He would be the second player from the state to be drafted in the lottery in the last four years following Johnny Davis of Wisconsin in 2022.
Kevin O'Connor's most recent NBA mock draft for Yahoo! Sports slotted Knueppel ninth to the Portland Trail Blazers.
"Scoot Henderson has made some progress this season, but it’s still not clear if he’s capable of being the point guard of Portland’s future," O'Connor wrote. "Knueppel makes sense as a selection in this regard since he brings more than just a sharpshooter’s stroke thanks to his brainy pick-and-roll playmaking and crafty scoring feel. While he’s not a primary creator, he can be one of the team’s creators alongside Deni Avdija on the wing, Donovan Clingan from the high post, and Scoot in ball screens."
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports put Knueppel to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 6.
"The Nets need some long-term building blocks in the backcourt and what makes Knueppel appealing is the high floor," Finkelstein wrote. "It's hard to imagine him not becoming a productive NBA player who can help drive winning. He has a terrific overlap of size, skill, and court awareness. He's a scoring threat at multiple levels and capable of initiating offense as well. Being better than expected defensively doesn't hurt either."
Knueppel was heavily recruited by the hometown Wisconsin Badgers as well as Marquette in Milwaukee. He had offers from both.
Other top programs across the Big Ten, SEC and ACC wanted him, too.
But Duke head coach Jon Scheyer won out.
Knueppel is the oldest son in the Knueppel family.
He has four younger brothers: Kager, Kinston, Kash and Kidman. When his commitment became official in November 2023, he posted a photo on his Instagram account with his four younger brothers with him inside the Duke locker room. Each of the Knueppel boys were holding one of Duke's five national championship trophies.
Kager, an honorable-mention all-state choice as a sophomore, scored 10 points in the WIAA Division 1 state championship game, a 57-55 win over Marshfield for the crown March 22. Kinston played 20 minutes and added three points. Wisco, which won last year and went undefeated, were bumped up from Division 2 because of the WIAA's success-based promotion system, and the Vikings still went back-to-back.
Kager scored 23 points, and Kinston added a pair of free throws, in a 58-57 win over Oshkosh North and Iowa State recruit Xzavion Mitchell in the semifinal.
Kash and Kidman are part of a middle-school team at St. John's Lutheran in Wauwatosa that just won the national Lutheran grade-school basketball tournament in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Kon Knueppel was the top-ranked high school boys basketball player in Wisconsin in the class of 2024, according to 247 Sports. The five-star recruit capped his high school career by winning Mr. Basketball as the state's top senior player and led Wisconsin Lutheran to a state championship and 30-0 season.
Nationally, Knueppel was ranked 18th in the class, according to 247 Sports.
Knueppel was part of the nation's top-ranked recruiting class in 2024.
Knueppel joined fellow five-star recruits Flagg (No. 1 overall), Khaman Maluach (No. 4) and Isaiah Evans (13) as four players in the top 20.
Patrick Ngongba II (20th) and Darren Harris (40th) rounded out the historic class. It was the second No. 1 recruiting class in the last three years for Duke.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Duke's Kon Knueppel, Wisconsin native in Final Four
Continue reading...
The Wisconsin Lutheran High School alumnus heads into the Final Four averaging 14.4 points per game for the Blue Devils, who meet Houston on Saturday in the national semifinal.
Knueppel, a second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, adds 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a 40% mark from three-point range.
While the presumed No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, Duke's Cooper Flagg, has understandably grabbed headlines, Knueppel has been the perfect Robin to Flagg's Batman, and both are trending toward becoming lottery picks in the 2025 NBA draft.
But first, they're looking for that national championship.
Here's more about the 2024 Wisconsin Mr. Basketball, who along with his Duke teammates face the Cougars at 7:49 p.m. CT Saturday in San Antonio.
You must be registered for see images attach
How tall is Kon Knueppel?
The freshman is 6-foot-7. He weighs 217 pounds.
Kon Knueppel stats
Knueppel played in all 38 games for Duke this season, starting each game. He averaged 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He shot 40% from three-point range and 91% at the free-throw line.
Duke went 35-3 through the first two weekends of the NCAA tournament, holding its No. 1 seed all the way to the Final Four. The closest call: A 100-93 win over Arizona in the Sweet 16.
Knueppel, picking up a heavier load when Flagg was injured, was named the ACC Tournament MVP, averaging 21 points and 5.7 rebounds during the tournament. He went on to earn all-East Region honors after averaging 20.5 points over the past two games.
Knueppel earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors in the first week of the season and went on to land a spot on the all-freshman team for the regular season. He was named second-team all-conference.
Who are Kon Knueppel’s parents?
Knueppel was born to play basketball at a high level.
Both of his parents were prolific scorers at the collegiate level. Knueppel's father, Kon, and mother, Chari Nordgaard Knueppel, each finished their careers as the leading scorers in their program's history.
His dad scored 2,064 points at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and was a four-time (1995-1998) All-Lake Michigan Conference selection. He held the scoring mark until 2019.
Knueppel's mom remains the all-time leading scorer at UW-Green Bay with 1,964 points during her career (1995-99). Chari, who was the Horizon League Player of the Year in 1999, had her jersey retired earlier this year, one of just three in the program with the honor.
She also ranks first in many other categories, including career scoring average (16.8 ppg), free throws made (538) and attempted (697), third in field goals (709) and fifth in both rebounds (862) and blocked shots (116).
You must be registered for see images
National writers have caught on to Kon Knueppel
His rise to prominence has not gone unnoticed by national publications.
Check out this great behind-the-scenes look by Green Bay Press Gazette writer Scott Venci, telling the story of how Chari organizes trips to see her son play and balances the schedules of the other kids in the family.
Matt Norlander of CBS Sports wrote a portrait of Knueppel that landed Thursday, as did John Fanta of Fox Sports, the latter called "The Legend of Kon."
Kon Knueppel highlights from high school
Kon Knueppel NBA prospects, mock drafts
Multiple mock drafts for the 2025 NBA draft have Knueppel being a first-round lottery pick.
His ball-handling skills, shooting prowess and strength were praised as assets that any NBA team would covet, among mock drafts.
He would be the second player from the state to be drafted in the lottery in the last four years following Johnny Davis of Wisconsin in 2022.
Kevin O'Connor's most recent NBA mock draft for Yahoo! Sports slotted Knueppel ninth to the Portland Trail Blazers.
"Scoot Henderson has made some progress this season, but it’s still not clear if he’s capable of being the point guard of Portland’s future," O'Connor wrote. "Knueppel makes sense as a selection in this regard since he brings more than just a sharpshooter’s stroke thanks to his brainy pick-and-roll playmaking and crafty scoring feel. While he’s not a primary creator, he can be one of the team’s creators alongside Deni Avdija on the wing, Donovan Clingan from the high post, and Scoot in ball screens."
Adam Finkelstein of CBS Sports put Knueppel to the Brooklyn Nets at No. 6.
"The Nets need some long-term building blocks in the backcourt and what makes Knueppel appealing is the high floor," Finkelstein wrote. "It's hard to imagine him not becoming a productive NBA player who can help drive winning. He has a terrific overlap of size, skill, and court awareness. He's a scoring threat at multiple levels and capable of initiating offense as well. Being better than expected defensively doesn't hurt either."
Was Kon Knueppel recruited by the Wisconsin Badgers?
Knueppel was heavily recruited by the hometown Wisconsin Badgers as well as Marquette in Milwaukee. He had offers from both.
Other top programs across the Big Ten, SEC and ACC wanted him, too.
But Duke head coach Jon Scheyer won out.
Kon Knueppel family, brothers
Knueppel is the oldest son in the Knueppel family.
He has four younger brothers: Kager, Kinston, Kash and Kidman. When his commitment became official in November 2023, he posted a photo on his Instagram account with his four younger brothers with him inside the Duke locker room. Each of the Knueppel boys were holding one of Duke's five national championship trophies.
Knueppel brothers just won their own championships
Kager, an honorable-mention all-state choice as a sophomore, scored 10 points in the WIAA Division 1 state championship game, a 57-55 win over Marshfield for the crown March 22. Kinston played 20 minutes and added three points. Wisco, which won last year and went undefeated, were bumped up from Division 2 because of the WIAA's success-based promotion system, and the Vikings still went back-to-back.
Kager scored 23 points, and Kinston added a pair of free throws, in a 58-57 win over Oshkosh North and Iowa State recruit Xzavion Mitchell in the semifinal.
Kash and Kidman are part of a middle-school team at St. John's Lutheran in Wauwatosa that just won the national Lutheran grade-school basketball tournament in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Kon Knueppel ranking
Kon Knueppel was the top-ranked high school boys basketball player in Wisconsin in the class of 2024, according to 247 Sports. The five-star recruit capped his high school career by winning Mr. Basketball as the state's top senior player and led Wisconsin Lutheran to a state championship and 30-0 season.
Nationally, Knueppel was ranked 18th in the class, according to 247 Sports.
Duke 2024 recruiting class
Knueppel was part of the nation's top-ranked recruiting class in 2024.
Knueppel joined fellow five-star recruits Flagg (No. 1 overall), Khaman Maluach (No. 4) and Isaiah Evans (13) as four players in the top 20.
Patrick Ngongba II (20th) and Darren Harris (40th) rounded out the historic class. It was the second No. 1 recruiting class in the last three years for Duke.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Duke's Kon Knueppel, Wisconsin native in Final Four
Continue reading...
