ATLANTA — Karter Knox, whom Kentucky and Louisville are recruiting to become part of their 2024 recruiting class, claims he didn't watch the game between the two last month. A five-star small forward, Knox only knew the Wildcats won handily. But he said he watched the highlights of the contest, a 95-76 victory for UK at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 21.

The in-state rivals are two of Knox's four finalists. One is South Florida, where his older brother, Kobe Knox, is now a third-year sophomore guard. The other possibility is the NBA G League, where he'd play for Ignite, a developmental team focused on helping young players prepare for the NBA draft.

Knox watched both of his older brothers, Kobe and Kevin Knox II (who played for Kentucky in 2017-18 before heading to the NBA), go through the college recruiting process. And the youngest Knox brother believed he had learned a thing or two by observation.

"But I don't know yet," Knox said of a possible commitment date. "When it comes to my mind, I'll know it's the right place. It hasn't clicked yet. But hopefully it'll click soon."

Knox is one of the highest-ranked uncommitted prospects in the 2024 class. Per the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 12 player nationally in his class; the only uncommitted 2024 prospect ahead of him is VJ Edgecombe (No. 5). Like Knox, Edgecombe has Kentucky among his finalists.

Questions about his future follow Knox everywhere.

"People know your face," he said. "(They're like), 'Karter, when you going to commit? (Is it going to be) Kentucky? Louisville? USF? G League? Where you going, where you going? I want to know!' It's really a harder decision than I thought it would be."

He took an official visit to U of L last month, giving embattled coach Kenny Payne a much-needed shot in the arm. And Knox will have an official visit with UK next week, during the weekend of the team's home game versus Georgia on Jan. 20.

'One of the greatest players at OTE'

While so much attention on the 6-foot-6, 219-pound forward is oriented on days to come, Knox's gaze is centered upon the present. Specifically, how to sharpen his game.

That's one reason he joined Overtime Elite last summer, in time for the 2023-24 season. The league, based in Atlanta, gives players between the ages of 16 and 20 an avenue to fine-tune their skills before moving on to other opportunities, be it college or pro. The Wildcats already have multiple connections with OTE: Freshman guard Rob Dillingham played there last season, and 2024 center Somto Cyril — one of Knox's teammates on the Real Wild Energy club this season — signed with UK during the early signing period in November.

The level of competition Knox faces in OTE — in practice and during games with RWE — is light years removed from his time at Tampa Catholic High School in Tampa, Florida.

"When I was at Tampa Catholic, I didn't really run the point guard. I didn't have the ball in my hands like that. I was really shooting and playing the wing most of the time," he said. "When I came here, they were like, 'Yo, you can play the 1. You can play 1 through 4, 1 through 5. We're going to tighten up your ballhandling, make you play every position. We'll make you one of the greatest players at OTE.'"

So far, so good.

He's averaging 21.9 points per game, the third-best mark in the league. And his 6.9 rebounds per outing is just outside the top 10.

Not that Corey Frazier cares about the raw numbers.

"It's been a blessing, because you have a kid who is so highly touted — to be one of the best kids in the class — and then he gets here and he's just a regular kid," said Frazier, RWE's head coach. "To be able to work with him daily, even in practice, I have no problem stopping any of our guys, but him specifically on, 'Hey, we worked on this specific thing. We're running a specific play here.'

"(And he'll be like), 'OK, let me switch my mindset. Let me quit just playing and really get what he's trying to teach me.' So when he finally settles and does it, he looks like a player who's learning the game from a different lens."

Knox said he can't thank Frazier and the coaching staff enough.

"My playmaking skills have definitely (gone) up," he said. "Defense, (too). They've got me here working morning, day, night. Shoot, dang near three times a day. So the work is paying off, and I'm just loving the experience right now."

Family history helps Knox 'keep grinding' in pursuit of greatness

It's nearly impossible for Knox to shake the specter of his older brother, Kevin.

A one-and-done sensation with the Wildcats, he was an All-SEC first-team selection and an Associated Press All-American honorable mention while leading the team in points per game (15.8) and 3-pointers made (57). The New York Knicks then picked Kevin ninth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

A factoid Karter is well aware of.

"The motivation should be to be better than your brother. So I always keep that in my mind: I want to be a top-eight (pick in the NBA draft)," he said. "I want to be higher than nine. I want to have a better career and be the best brother."

It makes for intense workouts when they're together, too.

"I'm like, 'I would have made that.' Every time he's shooting shots, I'm like, 'I'm making all my shots,'" Karter said. "He ain't making none of them. We're very competitive — that's with all my brothers. But we all love each other to death."

They're not the only ones in the family possessing world-class athletic genes, though. The Knoxes' father, Kevin Knox Sr., was a sixth-round pick (by the Buffalo Bills) in the 1994 NFL Draft. That came on the heels of a decorated college career at Florida State, where he caught 102 passes for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns as a wide receiver in four seasons (1990-93).

"Most definitely there are some big shoes to fill, my brother being a top-10 (NBA) draft pick, my dad playing professional football," Karter said. "So it really just helped me to grinding, keep working."

When he finally makes his decision, Knox said multiple factors will come into play.

His connection with the coaching staff. And the style of play the team uses. But he makes no bones about the fact one component stands above all others.

"I'm trying to be a one-and-done (selection in the NBA draft)," he said. "I don't want to be there for two, three, four years. So you've really got to pick the right school, pick the right system and all that. ... So I need to be developed, in those six, seven months or however long I stay there before I go into the draft."

If that mentality leads to condemnation?

So be it.

"You've got to think about the people who criticize," he said. "Those people in the league? Those (critics) are nowhere near where you're at right now. They're really just sitting on a laptop typing mean comments about you. I really don't pay attention to that stuff.

"I'll read a couple of them and just sit there and laugh, because I'm like, 'This dude really just wasted his time writing mean comments about me.' It's not gonna get to my head, so it doesn't really affect me. He's just wasting his time."

From the gridiron: Former Kentucky star QB Tim Couch elected to College Football Hall of Fame in 2024 class

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Karter Knox: Louisville MBB, Kentucky basketball target on recruitment