The twin towers in the paint for Marion Local were too much for Patrick Henry to handle as Niekamp and Knapke got what they wanted in the paint. Just outmuscling the PH bigs on numerous occasions, Knapke is a load for Division IV teams to handle. Knapke crashes the glass hard and blocked a couple shots at the rim. Still struggling to explode off the ground vertically, Knapke will look to work on his explosiveness and quickness this offseason. While he’s improved in both areas, there’s still room to grow if Knapke is going to defend in space at the college level against pick and rolls. Regardless of his college potential, this is one of the most productive bigs in Division IV as he’ll look to bring Marion Local’s storied program back to the state tournament with one more win.

Knapke is one of the more physically imposing bigs in the 2024 class standing at 6’8 and probably around 240 lbs. Knapke is a dominant force around the rim who improved his aggressiveness around the basket. Knapke needs to continue to work on his hands and finishing ability as he still does leave some points at the rim occasionally. Knapke looked improved latterly when I saw him on Sunday compared to the spring as I’m excited to continue to monitor his growth.