Louisville Basketball: Top 15 Players of 2000’s – 15-12

Just missed the cut 

• Marques Maybin (1998-2001)
• Taquan Dean (2003-2006)
• Jerry Smith (2007-2010)
• Samardo Samuels (2009-2011)
• Juan Palacios (2005-2008)
• Chane Behanan (2012-2014)

#15 – Preston Knowles, G (2008-2011)

Career stats: 7.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.1 spg

Coming in at #15, is one of the greatest on-ball defenders to ever play at Louisville. While his scoring numbers don’t necessarily signal the impact that he had during his four year run, the mentality and toughness he approached the game with was second-to-none. Coming in as a 2 star recruit not much was expected of Knowles. While he played mostly a secondary role during his sophomore and junior years, it was during his senior season that he blew up and led the Cards to a 25-10 record, before one of the saddest moments in Cardinal postseason history as the team fell to Morehead State in the opening round.

While many will remember the image of PK with his head in his hands with a large brace on his leg, and crutches next to him after the Morehead State upset, it’s the “Miracle on Main” that Cardinal fans should remember (along with this stubborn defense that pestered opposing offenses). With the Cards down by what seemed like an insurmountable amount of points, and only a few minutes remaining Preston Knowles hit four ridiculous threes back-to-back-to-back-to-back to bring the Cards within one. It was then his pass to Kyle Kuric that sealed the victory in a game that Rick Pitino called “one of the top five comebacks” of his career. This remains one of the best games of the 2000’s.