City of Basketball Love

By Andrew Robinson (@ADrobinson3)
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It was always a phone call Emily Knouse wanted to take.

Whether it was during high school season with Archbishop Wood, or playing on the GUAA circuit with the Comets over the summer, Knouse always found time when one college program in particular came calling. A quick-riser as both a contributor to her teams and a prospect at the next level, Knouse had no shortage of options.

One just felt more right.

So, the Wood junior made it official by announcing her commitment to Saint Joseph’s University on Saturday.

“They’ve been recruiting me for over a year and whenever Katie (Kuester) or Cindy (Griffin) or anyone on the staff asked when I had time to chat, I was always looking forward to that call,” Knosue said, mentioning the Hawks' assistant coach and head coach, respectively. “I just knew that they were going to be my second home.”

Knouse's commitment continues some significant momentum on the recruiting trail for Griffin's Hawks, who brought in 2023 Catholic League MVP Gabby Casey this offseason. Coming off a 20-win season, they're also 5-0 this season after beating Temple in overtime on Wednesday.

St. Joe’s offered Knouse in September of 2022, among the first grouping of offers she received. Knouse chose the Hawks from a list of offers that numbered at least a dozen before even playing a minute of her junior year and seemed poised to only keep growing. Still, the more she thought about waiting, the more Knouse knew exactly what she wanted.

“If you know, you know. It’s nobody else’s decision but yours,” Knouse said. “It was important for me to know I could make this decision rather early. I just knew I loved St. Joe’s and I wanted to go there.” 

Basketball was always going to be the path for Emily Knouse, given the family lineage. Her older brother Mike, now a sophomore playing at Lock Haven, was a valued contributor in his time at Wood and the siblings certainly got it from their parents Mike and Rosemary.

The elder Mike Knouse played at York Catholic then in college at Del Val while Rosemary Knouse, then Rosemary Magarity, played at Villanova from 1988-92 following a standout career  as a post player in the Catholic League at Bishop McDevitt where she was teammates with a keen-eyed point guard.

That point guard was Cindy Griffin.

“I always knew Cindy and her reputation but when they started recruiting me while I was playing with the Comets, that’s when we really started talking,” Knouse said. “I went and watched them play and it became a better and better relationship over time.”

A 6-foot guard/forward, Knouse’s most notable skill is her perimeter shooting. It’s what helped her get on the floor as a freshman at Wood, playing off the bench as a floor spacer for an upperclassmen-laden roster.

However, it’s not all she can do. A good athlete, Knouse is a three-time All-PCL in volleyball, she seized an opportunity as a starter last season with the Vikings and each of the past two summers with the Comets to show off a well-rounded game.

Adding some rebounding, some handling and some facilitating to her shooting was certainly good, but it was the way Knouse blended it all that most intrigued her now future coaches.

“They told me they loved the way I looked for my teammates passing the ball plus my shooting and making open shots,” Knouse said. “Any kid can work on ball-handling or moves, but they said I know how to play the game and they were impressed how I know how to facilitate and move the ball. It felt so reassuring.”

One of Knouse’s signature plays last season came in a loss, but the step-back three she hit to beat the third quarter buzzer in the PCL title game against Lansdale Catholic no doubt met the moment. It’s also a shot Knouse admits she probably wouldn’t have made not too long ago.

Getting thrown into the fire behind the scenes last year at Wood, notably getting the “honor” of guarding Ryanne Allen on one of the first days of practice, turned out to be just what she needed. Between two years with the Vikings and two summers with a very talented Comets roster, there’s definitely been improvement by osmosis.

“My freshman year was like a slap in the face,” Knouse said. “Coach Mike went ‘Em, you’ve got Ryanne’ and I went ‘what?’ It definitely put me in my place, you’re playing with Division I players and I was 14 years old so that, from the get-go, it was like you’ve got to start picking it up because these girls are really, really talented.”

Knouse was named one of Wood’s four captains for the upcoming season and aside from senior Ava Renninger, the junior has the most returning experience on the team. 

Wood had been looking forward to adding Colleen Besachio to the mix, but a knee injury will sideline the sophomore this season. Knouse, who played with Besachio this summer on the same Comets roster, noted that puts even more on her shoulders this winter across the board.

“I’m handling pressure a lot better,” Knouse said. “We’ve been in some serious games, PCL and state championship games, and I think freshman me would have been curled up in a ball ready to throw up. Now, with how successful my Comets team and high school team have been, it’s really prepared me for those intense situations on a basketball court.”

The more interest she got and the more visits she went on, the more Knouse started to hone a vision of what she was most looking for. She thanked her dad for helping keep everything organized and her brother for giving his insight, having gone through his own recruiting process not too long ago.

One thing that did rise to the forefront for Knouse, who resides in Horsham, was that she didn’t want to venture too far away. Location would matter, but more important would be the feel and fit with the team she planned on joining.

When she did her overnight visit in October, Knouse stayed with Hawks freshman Gabby Casey, a frequent foil from her time in the PCL at Lansdale Catholic. 

“I thought it was hilarious, Katie Kuester told me ‘we’re going to put you with another PCL girl,’ we all laughed about it,” Knouse said. “It was great, I related to Gabby and she really opened my eyes in the way of making that huge adjustment from high school to college and coming from around the same area.

“Me, personally, I could already see myself being there just from one night. The girls treat each other so well, Gabby told me she could go to any of the girls with anything and they’d drop everything to help her. That’s what your teammates are for and that just reassured me.”

Knouse ultimately chose St. Joe’s from a top four that also included Drexel, Monmouth and Holy Cross. She complimented the other three programs highly, adding it was difficult to say no to the coaching staffs at each, especially Holy Cross and coach Maureen Magarity, her cousin.

Anytime the Hawks wanted to talk, it was a call Knouse wanted to take. Now, she can look forward to those calls no longer focusing on what could be, but instead what will be.

“I just absolutely loved St. Joe’s and there wasn’t anything else I was waiting for,” Knouse said. “I knew the connection there was so strong, I loved it there and I realized of course I want to go there, so why wait?”