When Jair Knight steps onto the basketball court, his presence shifts the energy in the gym. The senior wing led Emory University men’s basketball team with 550 points during last year’s historic season as the team held D3hoops.com’s No. 1 ranking in Division III college basketball for the first time in program history. Propelled by Knight, the hardworking team made it to the NCAA Elite Eight for the second time in program history, and D3hoops.com named Knight to their All-America Fifth Team.
When Knight was young, he’d watch his father teach his older brother to play basketball and eventually Knight followed in his brother’s footsteps. Knight said it was his older brother who made him want to improve his game. During his freshman year in high school, Knight lost his starting role on his high school team after a bad game. He said that it was this setback that pushed him to develop a strong work ethic, eventually becoming a key player on his high school’s team.
“I ended up becoming into the player that would finish off games,” Knight said. “So understanding how to create a work ethic that strives through adversity midseason. And then throughout those four years, I ended up starting on varsity as a senior and going down to the Final Four, and so just learning how to learn from your mistakes.”
Knight has accumulated many significant basketball achievements at Emory, but he was not always a star on the team. In fact, he did not begin his Emory career as a starter, but was able to earn a starting role toward the end of his freshman season. Knight said he had older teammates during that year who motivated him to keep getting better.
“My freshman year was really getting motivated by my teammates and being surrounded by guys who go hard in practice and guys who put in a lot of work outside of practice and off the court,” Knight said. “I had a lot of upperclassmen that drove me along and invited me to work out with them, and then from there translated to the game, and I started flowing from there.”
When he steps onto the court, Knight says he is looking to perform better than the last time, adding that he has a “no days off” mentality. He compared this mindset to the familiar situation of studying for exams.
“It’s almost like when you’re preparing for an exam, you’re not studying a couple days before — your exam’s on your mind a week before,” Knight said. “Even though it’s like practices, which happen every day, I like to get my mind right and then from then on, when you’re playing and you’re in the moment, give your all.”
Knight’s personal achievements are evidence of his work ethic. Last year, Knight became the program’s fifth-ever player to receive All-America honors and was also named to the University Athletic Association’s (UAA) All-UAA First Team for the second straight season. Additionally, last season, he recorded his career high of 31 points in a game against Calvin University (Mich.).
“I didn’t realize until after, until you look up to the scoreboard,” Knight said. “[It] was just one of those games where you’re in the zone, you’re flowing and you’re feeding off your teammates.”
Knight plays a crucial role in maintaining the team’s chemistry, which is something he credits to his upbringing. Coming from a large family, he said he understands the importance of brotherhood and what it takes to “mediate between different roles.”
“I see everybody on the team as my brothers,” Knight said. “Understanding that everybody has their own talents and their own gifts and everything they bring to the team. I want to make sure everybody feels like they’re contributing, everybody feels like they’re important.”
Senior guard Tyson Thomas said that Knight is a player who makes an effort to show his teammates he is confident in their abilities, and that Knight is persistent in making sure they believe in themselves as well.
“He’s someone on this team who believes in my talents,” Thomas said. “He says we’re going to win every game because he believes in his teammates’ talents, and he continues to instill that over and over again until you understand.”
Senior guard John Coppolino said that since their freshman year, Knight has matured in his ability to make the right play, especially when opposing teams send pressure at him.
“Almost every team will send a second person if it’s him versus a guy who’s a little smaller in the post,” Coppolino said. “He’s really improved in his decision-making with the ball, especially when he gets in the paint.”
Watching Knight on the court, it’s hard to see his light-hearted side. However, off the court, Thomas said Knight is a “class clown.” Coppolino echoed this sentiment.
“He’s a funny guy and always joking around, and he can be the heart and soul of the team oftentimes when it comes to off-the-court stuff,” Coppolino said. “How intense he is on the court, he’s like that in a basketball sense, but in a non-basketball sense, it’s not always like that.”
This season, Knight hopes he can help push the Eagles past the elite eight, in addition to a UAA Championship. The senior said his goal is not to change too much about his individual playing style, but rather to take more time to understand his teammates, to make the team more effective and for the team to make a deep postseason run.
“It’s a team sport,” Knight said. “I’m talking with my teammates more, understanding their games more, seeing their perspectives, so that we can be more efficient as a unit. And I think that’s the only way that we could achieve those goals.”
