Knicks Star Karl-Anthony Towns Earns Major College Honor

“I’m in shock. I'm literally sweating!” Towns said. "I'm glad that God gave me the chance ... A lot of kids don't make the right decision when it comes to school."

"I'm super thankful ... Hopefully one day, my kids can see that their dad was something special in college at Kentucky.”

Prior to embarking on a sterling professional career between New York and Minnesota, Towns spent the 2014-15 season in the legendary Kentucky men's program under the watch of John Calipari. Earning All-American honors and the Gatorade Player of the Year title previously earned by Stephon Marbury, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and more, Towns quickly committed to UK after his high school showings at St. Joseph (NJ) High School.

In Lexington, Towns played on what many consider to be one of the most talented college basketball lineups of all-time, averaging 10.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in just over 21 minutes a game. That Wildcat group won each of his first 38 games before falling to Wisconsin in the Final Four round. The resulting 38-1 record is tied for the best win percentage for non-undefeated team in Division I men's basketball history and the 38 wins are also tied for the most in the same grouping.

For his efforts, Towns earned consensus All-American honors and became the top pick in the ensuing NBA Draft, becoming the first and most recent Kentucky man to earn the honor alongside Jon Wall and Anthony Davis. Towns' teammates Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles and Devin Booker all heard their names called within the ensuing dozen selections.

Since then, Towns has been a perennial All-Star candidate and descended upon New York last season after a late offseason trade that involved fellow former Wildcat Julius Randle. He put up 24.4 points and a career-best 12.8 rebounds in a year that saw the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter-century.

Towns and Hines-Allen will be joined by Abbey Cheek-Ramssey (softball), Makayla Epps (women's basketball), Doug Flynn (broadcasting), and Sonia Hahn (tennis).