Many expected the Duke Blue Devils to enjoy a long March Madness run based on the standard of players on their roster. Having the most talented eighteen-year-old cager don your jersey for the year will easily make your team one of the favorites to win the biggest month in the collegiate basketball calendar.
However, the Manny Diaz-led program was handed a heartbreaking Final Four loss at the hands of the Houston Cougars. The 70-67 loss saw the Blue Devils suffer a tough loss against a team they were ahead of for a good chunk of the game.
Some blamed Flagg’s lack of a clutch gene late in the game for the team’s defeat. However, no one on the roster matched Flagg’s 27 points. The closest player to match his production was fellow freshman Kon Knueppel.
The Milwaukee native finished his likely final collegiate game with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting, seven boards, two assists, and one steal. It wouldn’t be a bad stat line to end one’s collegiate career if he’s going to declare for the draft.
While the star guard is dealing with a bitter loss, he recently revealed what drove him to become the best basketball player he can be.
Kon Knueppel reveals NBA Jam as a reason for his play with the Duke Blue Devils
Many high-level cagers usually point to an NBA star or their parents as their primary motivation to develop as a basketball player. Watching their favorite players live or on TV drove them to try harder on the court.
This isn’t the case with Knueppel, though. The guard revealed that a certain video game gets the credit for his passion for the sport.
Per Sports Illustrated’s Kyle Koster:
It makes sense that the son of two parents who had accomplished basketball careers in their own right—mom Shari at Wisconsin Green-Bay and dad Kon at Wisconsin Lutheran—would find his own success but the younger Knueppel wasn’t particularly interested in the sport until his mom introduced NBA Jam into the equation.
CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson told the story during the first half of Duke-Houston:
“She went out, she bought him a Wii, NBA Jam and he became obsessed,” Wolfson said.
A fascination brought about by gaming allowed the Blue Devils to have one of the most exciting guards of the 2024 class. He finished his freshman season at Duke with impressive averages of 14.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals.
Duke fans hope the Wisconsin Lutheran standout would stay in Durham for one more year. However, everyone knows the allure of pro ball is too big for Knueppel to pass up on.
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