Emory University men's basketball seniors Jair Knight and Ben Pearce were named Preseason All-Americans by d3hoops.com Thursday afternoon as the publication released its list highlighting players for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
The Eagles' duo were two of 25 players recognized with Knight and Pearce being listed among the nation's best. Knight was lauded as one of five players on the All-America First Team while Pearce garnered Second Team acclaim. Emory, with Knight and Pearce at the helm, were previously featured this preseason as the team debuted as No. 3 nationally in the d3hoops.com poll – the team's highest-ever preseason ranking.
Knight and Pearce are only the fifth and sixth players in team history to be tabbed as Preseason All-Americans by d3hoops.com, with Knight becoming the first Eagle to ever be a First Team selection. Knight and Pearce join former Eagles Jake Davis (2012-13 Second Team, 2013-14 Honorable Mention), Adam Gigax (2017-18 Fourth Team), Romin Williams (2019-20 Honorable Mention) and Matthew Schner (2021-22 Honorable Mention) on the list of Emory Preseason All-Americans. They are the first set of teammates to be Preseason All-Americans in the same season.
Knight is coming off a season where he became the fifth player in program history to land All-America honors with his Fifth Team designation. Knight, who scored a career-high 550 points and was third in the University Athletic Association in scoring, also led the conference in steals while also setting career-highs in rebounding and assists. In addition to his All-America honor, Knight was a First Team selection for both NABC All-Region and All-UAA and was a Second Team pick for d3hoops.com All-Region.
Pearce's junior season saw him finish as one of the top distributors in the country as he finished sixth in Division III with a UAA-leading 159 assists while scoring over 400 points for the third straight season, netting a career-high 494 points. Pearce landed on the All-UAA First Team for a third consecutive season and was a Second Team All-Region selection by both the NABC and d3hoops.com.
They will enter the 2025-26 season with an opportunity to climb up the all-time career lists in several statistical categories, including points scored as entering the season, Pearce stands eighth at 1,373 points with Knight in 10th with 1,279 points.
Pearce currently stands fourth all-time in three-pointers made (186) and scoring average (17.2), eighth in games started (80), sixth in total assists (402), 10th in field goals (470) and free throws (247) and 17th in steals (119). For Knight, he ranks eighth in scoring average (16.0), tied for sixth in steals (15), seventh in total blocks (84), ninth in field goals made (481), 12th in free throws made (23) and 14th in rebounding average (5.9).
The Eagles are set to start the 2025-26 season on Sunday, November 9th with a trip to Piedmont University. Tip off is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
