TAMPA, Fla. (November 21, 2023) – Giving thanks comes naturally for USF guard Kobe Knox, a mature, analytical old soul. Whether it's playing at the Yuengling Center before longtime friends — or having a place at his family's Thanksgiving table — his current status has the same comfortable meaning.
 
He's home.
 
"It's very, very nice,'' said Knox, a 6-foot-5 sophomore who graduated from Tampa Catholic High School in 2020, then had one year of prep school and two seasons at Grand Canyon University before entering the transfer portal. "My mom and dad can come to all my games. My grandparents, who hadn't seen me play since high school, get to see me. There are a lot of advantages.
 
"At the same time, I have to keep my focus and not get distracted. I have to keep playing my game and doing what I do.''
 
And that's no easy task when your older brother, Kevin II, is Hillsborough County's all-time leading prep scorer, an All-SEC player at Kentucky, an NBA Draft lottery pick, and a six-year veteran in the league, now with the Detroit Pistons.
 
"I remember those TC-Jesuit games when the Jesuit crowd was always chanting at Kobe, 'Brother's shadow! Brother's shadow!' '' said Knox's mother, Michelle, with a laugh. "That's what you get from Jesuit. Kobe never let it bother him. He's very close to his brother. Kobe has always trusted in his own unique skills and unique personality.
 
"My husband (Kevin Sr.) has always been great at making sure each of our (four) kids appreciate who they are and know how to use their special gifts. Kobe is just fine being Kobe.''
 
For Bulls coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, that means having a tenacious defender with a wingspan that measures nearly 7-feet long, a solid rebounder and a sneaky-effective scoring threat.
 
"Kobe is our Swiss Army knife,'' Abdur-Rahim said. "He does a little bit of everything. Sometimes it goes unnoticed because the things he does help to get easier shots for other players. But I can promise you that the coach notices.''
 
"Kobe is an electric player,'' said Bulls senior guard Brandon Stroud, a transfer from Kennesaw State. "When he's in the lane blocking a shot or driving to dunk it … man, you definitely love that.''

Knox built a quality reputation with TC. The Crusaders reached the state's final four in each of his four seasons. But he was graduating class of 2020 — the COVID-19 season — and his recruiting was short-circuited. He opted for prep school in Indiana, a decision that further developed his game, then he earned a scholarship to Grand Canyon.
 
After a redshirt season, he averaged 5.3 points and 1.7 rebounds, while starting 16 games for Grand Canyon's NCAA Tournament team. Knox wanted a change of scenery, though, although it wasn't a sure thing about returning home to USF, which underwent a coaching change to Abdur-Rahim.
 
"I visited a couple of schools and I also had it in the back of my mind of going back to Grand Canyon,'' Knox said. "But when I looked close at USF, I decided it was the spot for me. I liked Coach Amir, the entire staff and the plan they had. If this program had been in Georgia, I think I would've been interested. The fact that it was coming back home, that was like an added bonus.''
 
Knox said he also found a kindred spirit in Abdur-Rahim, praising the coach's "relentless attitude'' and his "drive to be great.'' He found it interesting that — just like him — the coach also had an accomplished older brother. Shareef Abdur-Rahim was the third overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft and played 12 seasons in the league.
 
"What I tell the coaches that end up coaching my son is that this thing called life, it's actually a four by 100 relay,'' said Knox's father, Kevin Sr., a wide receiver on Florida State University's 1993 national championship football team who played briefly in the NFL. "I want to hand the baton off to somebody who I really feel can bring home a victory.
 
"We really saw Coach Amir as the Usain Bolt who's going to bring it home and continue Kobe's development, not only as a basketball player but as a man. Coach Amir is very forthright, very honest, and very good at what he does. He's going to help Kobe become the best player he can be.''
 
The comparisons won't end, though. But that's OK.
 
"Kobe's brother (Kevin II) was a one-and-done who went No. 9 overall to the New York Knicks,'' Knox's father said. "Look, every person has their own runway. You never see two planes landing at the same time. Every rose doesn't bloom at the same time.
 
"Kobe's time is coming. Everybody has a different life. You've got to embrace that and not get lost in the comparisons. We are happy with Kobe's progress. And we're really happy we get to see it first-hand right here in Tampa.''
 
Knox's mother said this will be a special Thanksgiving.
 
"Kobe has a great appetite,'' she said, laughing. "I'm happy we'll all be together, except for Kevin this time (due to his NBA schedule). When Kobe was considering a new school, we discussed it as a family. We didn't want him to get caught up in an emotional decision. He's here for all the right reasons. I believe he's on a great path.''
 
As Abdur-Rahim builds the USF program, he hopes to continue recruiting the top local players.
 
"The thing I love about being the coach at USF is we have this beautiful city located in a beautiful state,'' Abdur-Rahim said. "We want to keep our best players here so they can experience a high-level basketball program and a high-level academic school. And they also get to be around their family.
 
"We love having Kobe Knox in our program. The fact that he gets to be around his family at Thanksgiving, I'm really happy about that. Sometimes, you miss that part when you're a college basketball player. Kobe's in a great situation. He's home.''
 
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About USF Men's Basketball
The South Florida men's basketball team is led by Amir Abdur-Rahim, who was named the 11th head coach in program history on March 29, 2023. Abdur-Rahim was named the 2023 Mid-Major Coach of the Year (Hugh Durham Award) after leading Kennesaw State to its first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament berth in 2022-23. Abdur-Rahim's Kennesaw State team set an NCAA record as the fastest team to ever reach the NCAA Tournament after a one-win campaign, accomplishing the feat in a span of just three seasons. He was also named the 2022-23 NABC District 3 and ASUN Coach of the Year after leading Kennesaw State to both the regular season and tournament titles, and a school-record 26 wins.
 
USF has retired three numbers in its history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30), and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids, appeared in the NIT eight times, and won the 2019 College Basketball Invitational.
 
For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com. Season tickets for the 2023-24 USF men's basketball slate are on sale now. To purchase season tickets, click here.
 
 
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