As a freshman on the Waynesburg University men’s basketball team, Jon Knab came to practice as a talented, 6’4” wing and his coaches knew it.

“I think [Knab] had the elements of being a really talented player and we could see that early on,” said head coach Mark Christner. “His work ethic, his coachability – he did not miss a practice.”

But he did not see much playing time his first year.

At the conclusion of his freshman year, Knab had played in only 10 games, saw a total of 22 minutes and made two of the seven shots he took – finishing the season with four points.

“We felt he could be a pretty good player in our league, he was just behind some really successful seniors,” Christner said.

Christner said when he first saw Knab practice he could tell Knab had a strong work ethic. After Knab’s freshman year, he continued to work hard in practice.

“His work ethic made him good, he came every day and he wanted to learn…he had the athletic ability…all the intangibles,” Christner said.”

It was between his freshman and sophomore year that the basketball team graduated seven players.

Christner preaches the idea of the next man up, where players need to be ready when their number is called.

Then, during his sophomore year, Knab’s number was one which was called.

At the conclusion of his sophomore year, Knab had played and started all 26 games, saw a total of 591 minutes – which was fourth highest on the team that season – and made 92 of the 179 he took, finishing with 226 points – third on the team.

Christner said Knab did everything he was asked to do – and more.

“We are trying to develop guys, we’re trying to teach them from the time they step on the court as freshmen, but we have to have a receptive audience,” Christner said. “We knew that [Knab] was very receptive…We needed him to have a bigger role. He basically became our third scorer.”

Christner said Knab’s mentality resulted in expectation for him to be a successful and reliable asset to the team. During Knab’s sophomore year, there was a learning curve, according to Christner, and his junior year the team faced some tough injuries and did not finish where they wanted.

But when things didn’t go right, Christner never saw it reflect in Knab.

“[Knab] is [Knab]: he approaches life from a consistent standpoint,” Christner said. “He is a man of faith and it allows him to be who he is every day. And in my opinion, that translated to the basketball court.”

Knab played in, and started, every game of his junior and senior year, finishing his career as a Yellow Jacket with 1,059 points – the 34th 1,000-point scorer in Waynesburg history – even after scoring only four points his first season.

Knab’s 16.5 points per game during the 2017-2018 season ranked him third in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in scoring. He was honored by the conference as an All-PAC Honorable Mention in 2017 and received First-Team All-PAC in 2018.

“I probably would’ve said they’re crazy to be honest,” Knab said if he could have heard his career stat line as a freshman.

Even through the slower start, Knab was not discouraged and continued to work hard. He believed his coaches, who saw something he had not seen in himself at first.

Christner said times like that showed how Knab was someone who led by example. The way he carried himself both on and off the court, as a follower of Christ, is what Christner referred to as his typical Waynesburg University student athlete.

“He’s a wonderful representation of a Waynesburg student athlete,” Christner said. “He takes faith formation seriously, worked hard academically and then practiced hard.”

Christner said the team knew 2017-2018 would be Knab’s last season with the program, but that they will still have to adjust playing without him.

“We love [Knab] and the heart and the sweat that he poured into our program will certainly not be forgotten,” Christner said. “He was, and will be, a good representation of our program…he’ll tell prospective students about him and the type of person he was.”

Knab was also acknowledged for his work in the classroom: he was a two-time Presidents’ Athletic Conference Honor Roll member and was a two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors court as well.

Knab, who switched into his major of middle-level education during his sophomore year, will complete his student teaching at Margaret Bell Miller Middle School in the fall and will graduate in December 2018.

“I’m really excited,” Knab said about student-teaching in the fall. “It’s what I want to do [as a career], so it’s basically me having full control over a classroom and teaching and putting to use what I have learned over my four years here.”

Once Knab leaves Waynesburg University, Christner said he is always welcomed back and is excited for his future.

“We’re excited to see what the Lord has in store for him moving forward,” Christner said.