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Do You Remember?: Billy Knight
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He was a Knight to remember at Braddock High School.
Knight was a versatile, smooth, 6-foot-6 player who had one of the greatest playoff games in WPIAL history. On March 3, 1970 Braddock defeated Penn Joint, 79-63, in a WPIAL Class A quarterfinal at Greensburg High School. Knight, whose nickname was "Mooney," was unstoppable, scoring 41 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. His 41 points still ties for sixth-best in a WPIAL playoff game.
Braddock lost to Mohawk, 69-56, in the semifinals three days later in front of more than 9,000 fans at the Civic Arena. Knight had another big game, scoring 30 points and grabbing 29 rebounds, but Mohawk still rolled to the win.
After his days at Braddock, Knight went on to have a terrific career at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an All-American and became the first player in school history to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds in three different seasons. In 1974, he led Pitt to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, where the Panthers lost to North Carolina State, who would go on to win the NCAA title.
Knight went on to play 11 seasons in the ABA and NBA and made the all-star game in both leagues. Twice he averaged more than 20 points a game in the NBA.
After retirement, Knight worked in the front office of a few NBA teams. Most recently, he was the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks.
First Published January 25, 2013 12:00 am
