BY NOAH GRIFFITH FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA ––
Opelika High School’s standout basketball duo is staying inside state lines at the next level.
After stellar senior years, 2023 graduates Isaiah Knight and Mekhiron Brock both recently locked in college commitments. On May 16, Brock committed to go to Wadley to play for Southern Union Community College, and Knight committed to Birmingham Southern College (Division 3) on June 29.
Knight, an Opelika lifer and three-year contributor on varsity, scored 16 points per game and hauled in five rebounds a game in his senior year, while Brock transferred in from Florida for his junior year and became a key player for the Bulldogs, ending his high school career with 18 points per game and 15 rebounds per game in his senior year.
According to OHS boys basketball head coach Wesley Button, the duo’s mental and physical determination puts them in position to succeed at the next level.
“Those guys have set a standard, as far as work ethic goes, for what we need in this program going forward,” Button said. “They’re both very, very competitive. Isaiah’s role has been to come in and work: lead by example in practice. Brock holds everybody to a high standard, and if you don’t meet that standard, he was going to let you know.”
Both do more playing than talking, and their resiliency shows itself in their physical styles of play.
Brock, naturally more of a guard, played the four and five spots in the rotation for the Bulldogs. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, and he got in top shape after “falling in love with the gym” before his senior year, Button said. The work he has put in, combined with his high-energy, high-motor play, sets him up to be a key addition to a Southern Union team that is built on toughness.
“Energy, leadership and good basketball” are what Brock listed as his contributions on the court.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 160 pounds as a guard, Knight is set up to thrive in an BSC offense that spreads the floor and gets good looks for its shooters. Button said Knight’s aggressiveness and heads-up play are something that have stood out about him in his years in the program.
Early on in his high school career, Knight learned the value of hard work. Not playing on varsity his freshman year motivated him to be a better player and pushed him to train harder. He made varsity in 10th grade, but was in the “sixth man” role before earning a starting spot in his junior year. That process of climbing the ladder has paid off with a commitment to a four-year school.
“This opportunity means a lot to me because I didn’t expect to be at a four-year program out of high school,” Knight said. “On my visit [to BSC], I just liked the environment, the coaching staff and playing with the players there. It was a fun environment.”
Simply put, Knight and Brock are excited and thankful for the path that led them to earning college scholarships around the same time, they said.
Having a pair of teammates in the same class helps put Opelika basketball on the radar, but Button accredited the accomplishment to the hard work of Knight and Brock. They set an example of the dedication it takes to get to the next level for younger players in the program through their relentless play.
“[Knight and Brock] went out and earned this; they left it all on the floor,” Button said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these two. I’m very close with them. I was Isaiah’s freshman coach, so we’ve been through a lot in this program together. Definitely going to miss them; they had a great attitude off the floor, then they were all business on the floor.”