Knox Locks Them All Down

If there’s a remake of the basketball movie, “Hoosiers,” Joey Knox of Westchester would be the perfect choice to fill the role of the player who’s supposed to guard his man so close that he could tell what flavor the opponent was if he were a stick of gum.

“It was Dentyne,” the player says in the fourth quarter to his coach.

“It was Knox,” opposing point guards have been groaning as to why they don’t get off too many shots.

Westchester (23-3), which won its sixth City Championship in eight years last week, is trying to earn a trip to Sacramento to play for the state Division I title.

On Thursday night, the Comets defeated Fresno Clovis West, 63-43, to earn a spot in the Southern California Regional final at the Sports Arena. Amir Johnson made 10 of his 11 shots to finish with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. The Comets play Fairfax for the fourth time this season in the final at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Sports Arena.

Knox relishes in making opponents feel uncomfortable. He gets into their faces. He pokes and prods, depending on what the officials will allow.

“He’s like a gnat,” assistant coach Marlon Morton said. “He gets on your nerves and by the third or fourth quarter, he’s worn you out.”

Knox is a key figure in Westchester’s pressure man-to-man defense because his ability to disrupt point guards allows teammates to overplay their men and go for steals.

“We believe there’s not a guard that can get around him,” Morton said.

Westchester tries to make opposing ball-handlers change directions two or three times while dribbling in the back court. “He takes it to another level,” Coach Ed Azzam said.

Added Knox: “Everybody can play offense. You need something else to stand out for Coach Azzam, and that’s defense.”

Knox comes from a family with impressive basketball credentials. His uncles, Billy and Eric Knox, were standouts at Playa del Rey St. Bernard in the 1980s and went on to play at St. Mary’s and Oregon State, respectively.

Even in their supposed “old age,” the Knox brothers took on Joey and All-City forward Marcus Johnson in a game of two-on-two. “They’re the dirtiest players,” Joey said. “They don’t lose, definitely not to me.”

College coaches have to be careful not to overlook Knox’s skills because most made a mistake with Westchester’s underrated point guard from its 2003 state championship team, Bobby Brown. Given a last-minute scholarship to Cal State Fullerton, Brown has become one of the top point guards in the Big West Conference.

Point guard was supposed to be the weak link for Westchester this season. It was the position teams thought they could exploit, but Knox has more than held his own as a starter, and junior Ahmaad Cook has filled in well off the bench.

Knox, a 6-foot senior, has earned respect off the court with his 3.5 grade-point average. Raised by his mother and grandparents since the death of his father when he was 10, Knox has grown into a teenager known as “one of the nicest kids you’ll ever want to meet,” according to Morton.

Knox said Brown has been helpful in mentoring him.

“Bobby just told me to keep my head up, keep working on my game and at the end of the year, you’ll see who the weakest link is,” he said.

“I heard all the rumors and whispers about me, and it was really getting me down. People would say, ‘Westchester can’t win without a point guard.’ It was very frustrating.”

Knox, though, keeps playing the game at lightning speed, never giving up and never allowing his opponent a moment of rest.

In the end, if Westchester is able to win a Division I state championship, Knox will be the one worthy of a standing ovation because of his intense effort to make a difference on defense.

As for the skeptics, he said, “I’ve stopped listening. All you control is your own game. We all have the same goal. There’s no hidden agendas. We just want to win.”

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.