Brandin Knight enters his fifth season as Associate Head Coach of Rutgers men’s basketball in 2025-26 and his tenth overall with the program, having joined Rutgers as an assistant coach on April 18, 2016. A New Jersey native, Knight is recognized as one of college basketball’s rising coaching talents, with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances to his credit—ten as a staffer and two as a student-athlete—including four Sweet Sixteen appearances.
Knight has been instrumental in recruiting and developing NBA-caliber Scarlet Knights, including Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Clifford Omoruyi, and Ron Harper Jr. In 2024-25, he played a key role in bringing in Rutgers’ highest-ranked recruits in school history, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, who became the highest two draft picks in program history in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. During the 2023-24 season, Knight helped Rutgers maintain one of the nation’s strongest homecourt advantages, finishing 12-5 at home with sellouts for every game. In 2022-23, Rutgers became the first team in school history to achieve four consecutive winning seasons and reached postseason play for the third straight year.
Knight’s impact extends beyond recruiting. He is central to game-planning, opponent scouting, and the development of Rutgers’ backcourt and perimeter players. Rutgers has signed four-star recruits from New Jersey in three consecutive classes, including Cliff Omoruyi (2020), Paul Mulcahy (2019), and Ron Harper Jr. (2018), highlighting Knight’s recruiting presence. He was named to The Athletic’s “40 Under 40: Rising Stars” list in 2020.
Under Knight’s guidance, Rutgers earned its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991 in 2020-21, defeating Clemson in the opening round—the Scarlet Knights’ first NCAA Tournament win since 1983. Rutgers posted its first winning season in 14 years in 2019-20 (20-11), including 18 home wins—the most in the nation and a program record. That season, Rutgers tied for fifth in the Big Ten and achieved its most conference victories in 29 years, earning an opening road bye in the conference tournament for the first time in 25 years.
Rutgers has achieved multiple historic milestones with Knight on staff, including double-digit wins over ranked opponents, a 20-point victory over Seton Hall in the Garden State Hardwood Classic, and recognition by Sports Illustrated as the nation’s Most Improved Team in 2018-19. The Scarlet Knights also improved 70 spots in the KenPom.com rankings—the largest jump among Power Conference programs—and posted seven league victories, the most in 13 years, with a roster ranked 330th in experience.
Knight began his tenure at Rutgers after an accomplished career at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as assistant coach from 2008-16, director of basketball operations in 2007-08, and program assistant/video coordinator in 2006-07. During his time at Pitt, the Panthers went 252-101 (.714), reached the postseason in all 10 seasons, won the 2008 Big East Championship, earned two NCAA No. 1 seeds (2009, 2011), and captured the 2011 Big East regular season title. Knight played a key role in the development of All-America selection Sam Young and all-league guards Levance Fields, Ashton Gibbs, and Tray Woodall.
As a student-athlete at Pittsburgh (1999-2003), Knight was a standout point guard who helped lead the Panthers to consecutive Big East regular season titles (2001-02, 2002-03), two Sweet Sixteen appearances, the program’s first Big East Tournament title (2003), and three consecutive Big East Tournament finals (2001-03). He earned numerous honors, including 2003 Wooden All-American, 2002 Associated Press All-American, two-time All-Big East honoree, Big East co-MVP (2001-02), and Most Improved Player (2001-02). Knight concluded his career with 1,440 points, 785 assists (school record), 492 rebounds, and 298 steals (school record), along with career marks for assists per game (6.2), 3-point field goal attempts (261), minutes played in a season (1,284), and consecutive games with at least one assist (91). His No. 20 jersey was retired by Pitt on March 4, 2009, and he was inducted into the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.
Following college, Knight played two seasons with the NBDL’s Asheville Altitude, winning back-to-back league titles in 2003-04 and 2004-05. He signed with the Houston Rockets in 2005 but suffered a knee injury. During rehabilitation, he began coaching AAU teams, including a squad that won the Under-16 Pittsburgh Jamfest title in 2006. Knight’s brother, Brevin, was a 12-year NBA veteran and consensus All-America point guard at Stanford; the Knights are one of only eight brother combinations in NCAA Division I history to earn All-America honors.
Knight is the son of Brenda and Melvin Knight, the latter a former Seton Hall assistant coach and athletic director at Essex County College (N.J.). He earned a degree in History from Pittsburgh in 2005. He and his wife, Michelle, are proud parents of two children, Kylah and Brandin Jr.
At a Glance
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New Jersey (East Orange) native; one of college basketball’s rising coaches.
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12 NCAA Tournament appearances as a staffer or student-athlete, including four Sweet Sixteen trips.
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Promoted to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2021-22 season.
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Named to The Athletic’s “40 Under 40: Rising Stars” list.
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Key developer of Rutgers’ backcourt and perimeter players.
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2003 Wooden All-American, 2002 AP All-American, two-time All-Big East honoree; No. 20 jersey retired by Pitt and member of Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
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Brother Brevin: 12-year NBA veteran; father Melvin: former Seton Hall assistant coach and athletic director at Essex County College.
NBA Players Coached or Recruited
Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Clifford Omoruyi, Ron Harper Jr., DeJuan Blair, Steven Adams, Aaron Gray, Lamar Patterson, Sam Young
