University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Meet the Bulldogs: Junior Tianna Knuckles
10.30.2015 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville women's basketball team tips off its 2015-16 season at East Tennessee State Friday, Nov. 13. As an opportunity to “Meet the Bulldogs,” one student-athlete will be highlighted each day leading up to the start of the season. Today's featured Bulldog women's basketball player is junior Tianna Knuckles.
Knuckles averaged 8.6 points per game last season and enters the 2015-16 season as the team's leading returning scorer. Eight times last season she led the team in scoring and she reached double-digit scoring 14 times throughout the season.
UNCABulldogs.com recently sat down with Knuckles.
Junior
Wendell, N.C.
Major: “Health and wellness.”
What are your post school plans? “Physical therapy.”
What is your favorite part about UNC Asheville? “The nature part of it and the mountains. The diversity too, there's just a whole bunch of different people and nobody really judges you.”
Why did you choose UNC Asheville? “The basketball team, the program, the gymnasium, and the coaches are really nice. I really like the team in general. It's a family-oriented group focused on being together and I like that.”
What are three words you'd use to describe yourself? “Outgoing, funny, hardworking.”
Since you're funny, any jokes? “Not like out of the blue jokes, but I'll make a joke if somebody else says something.”
Nicknames? “T Knucks, T, TT.”
Do you have a favorite saying from Coach Mock? “TIAAANNNAAAA two feet. That one.”
All time starting five, who would you want on your team? “Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and my center would be Blake Griffin.”
What are three things you can't live without? “My cell phone – everybody tells me that, hair products – it gets humid and big and I just can't, and my team. I can't live without them, I'm not even going to lie."
What's something most people may not know about you? “I'm scared of heights. Coach Brown found that out the other day during the intro video shoot when we had to go to The Cut.”
When I'm not on the basketball court, I am… “my team can tell you I'm sleeping, in the locker room or in my room. I'm probably hanging out with my team most likely bonding.”
Any songs you know all the lines to? “'Best Thing You Ever Had' by Beyonce. I can rehearse any TLC song and any Mariah Carey song.”
Do you have a favorite class you've taken? “A class I'm in right now is nutrition. It helped me change my diet and cut back on certain stuff I didn't know about before so I really like that class a lot.”
If you could max out your credit card at one store, what store would it be? “My team always tells me I spend too much. I would say either H&M or Pac Sun. I have a problem, I spend too much.”
Are you a shoe person? “Yes.”
Last pair you bought? “Jordans. The 6s, the black ones that just came out. Three of my teammates and I went to the mall together to get them and I can't resist.”
When's the last time selfie you took a selfie? “I haven't taken a selfie in a while because I've been wearing basketball clothes and looking raggedy. The last time I dressed up was probably the Hall of Fame dinner so maybe three or four days ago.”
