Have High Standards—in Everything

As a student at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Brandon Knight hit the books hard. “I took it very seriously, getting straight A’s,” he recalls. “If I got a B, I took it as a loss.” Knight wanted to go to a college that upheld the same standards on the court as he did in the classroom.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari influenced his decision to become a Wildcat. “Wherever Coach Cal went, the teams got better throughout the year,” says Knight. “His players individually got better and they won games.”
Knight led Kentucky to a berth in the Final Four before becoming the eighth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He’s now a standout rookie for the Detroit Pistons.
A key to success in the recruiting process: make sure you excel academically as well on the field or court. Holding yourself and your teammates to a high standard will improve your chances of landing at your dream school.