It’s not hyperbole to say that Nathan Knight is the greatest big man in William & Mary program history.
And today, he continues to make history, as he was signed by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
Is it too early to call him the Knight Hawk?
With the selection, Knight has a chance to become just the third W&M player to ever play in the NBA, and the first since the 1980s.
That’s big news for a basketball program that’s been playing since 1905; yes, you read that correctly: 1905.
At W&M, the 6’10” Knight became known not only for dominating competition on the court, but he also became known for his academic pursuits off it.
His transformation into a true scholar athlete was one to behold — and is exactly what is expected of those who go through the William & Mary Athletics experience.
Let’s take trip down memory lane to remember just how great Nathan Knight was for William & Mary during his time in the ‘Burg.
A great place to start would be the Knight hype video below!
Below is a list of Knight’s career accolades listed on W&M Athletics website, largely coming from his senior year alone — one in which he tore up the CAA en route to both the CAA Player and Defensive Player of the year.
Absolutely incredible. A W&M legend, forever.
- Named the Lou Henson National Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com, presented annually to the nation’s top D-I mid-major player
- Selected as Basketball Times National Mid-Major Player of the Year
- Became just the 2nd player in league history to be named both the CAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season in 2020
- Selected as 1 of 5 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award for the second-straight season
- Selected as 1 of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes excellence in community, classroom, character & competition
- Selected as a 2020 Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American
- Only of 10 players from outside of the ACC and Big Ten on the USBWA All-District III
- Named All-CAA First Team for the 2nd-straight season and became the 15th player in CAA history to be named to the All-Defensive Team on 3 occasions
- 4th W&M player to be named to VaSID State Player of the Year
- Led the country in player efficiency rating (35.0) while ranking 2nd in double-doubles (23)
- Ranked among the top 20 nationally in free throws made (4th at 180), defensive rebound per game (6th at 7.8), win shares (10th at 6.3), total rebounds (13th at 337), total points (14th at 663), rebounds per game (16th at 10.5), field goals made (16th at 227) and points per game (19th at 20.7)
- According to KenPom.com, ranked 7th in the country in offensive rating, for players with a 28% usage rate, at 114.0 and in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.5)
- Ranked 4th nationally with 11 games of 20 points and 10 rebounds in 2019-20
- Averaged 20.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and was one of only nationally this past season with those averages
- Became just the 4th player in CAA history and first since 1989 to average 20 points and 10 rebounds per game
- Finished his career ranked 2nd in W&M history in points and blocked shots and 3rd in rebounding
- In the CAA record book, ranked among the all-time leaders at seventh in free throws made (559), 9th in blocked shots (221), 13th in scoring (2,151) and 13th in rebounding (964)
- Scored 30 points on 13-of-18 shooting at Oklahoma (11/18)
- Tallied a 30-point, 10-rebound double-double in his homecoming at Buffalo (11/30)
- Pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds and added 28 points at Charleston (2/6)
- Tallied a season-high 33 points and chipped in 12 rebounds in the Gold Rush win over Delaware (2/15)
- Twice scored on last-second driving lay-ups to knock off Northeastern on the road (1/4) and at home (1/30)
- Named CAA Player of the Week on a school-record and league-high four times in 2019-20
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