I like Bob Knight. I always have even though I don't know him well.
After spending much of the week in Lubbock and watching him prepare his team for the Preseason NIT -- the Red Raiders demolished Davidson and UMass with back-to-back awesome defensive performances -- I like him more.
In an ironic way, Knight is going back to New York and Madison Square Garden to face Utah on Wednesday night with a young Texas Tech team that is the most athletic group he's had during his three seasons in charge at Tech. Ironic because this past weekend brought back together many of the players from his first teams at Army, where he became the head coach in 1965 at the age of 24.
Guys like Dick Murray (Knight's first captain), Mike Gyovai, Bobby Seigle, Bill Helkie and Jocko Mikula came from all over the country to golf, watch basketball and re-live memories of almost 40 years ago. The strength of these relationships were obvious.
West Point and Madison Square Garden really define the early part of Knight's coaching career. The Cadets' four NIT appearances in six years under Knight came at a time when this tournament's postseason edition, in some ways, was more prestigious than the NCAA Tournament. Knight's Cadets may not have been the most athletic group in the country, but they led the nation in team defense three consecutive years. With 19 steals on Friday night against UMass, the Red Raiders showed defense still comes first wherever Knight coaches.
New York is where Knight also came under the influence of legendary coaches like St. John's Joe Lapchick and LIU's Clair Bee and John Goldner, who was synonymous with New York basketball at that time. Knight also was given the nickname "Bobby T" in the city by the local sportswriters. So, it's not hard to see why his cynicism about the media probably goes back 40 years, as well.
But back to Thursday's practice, where it was fascinating to watch the former Army players, who are in their late 50s and early 60s, watch their former coach teaching players, some of whom were born after he won his second national championship at Indiana. The teaching and instruction was crisp and concise. The attention to detail had not changed.
I asked Murray, who spent 27 years in the Army and had recently retired from Lockheed Martin, what influence Knight had on him. He said, simply, "I learned more about leadership from Coach Knight than any other faculty member at West Point."
In the course of our conversation, in fact, Murray slipped and called his old coach "Bob," and after correcting himself said, "I'm almost 60 and still call him 'Coach Knight.' "
This Tech team may sneak up on folks in the Big 12. It is led by All-American candidate Andre Emmett, a 6-foot-5 senior who is the leading returning scorer in the Big 12. He may be as good an offensive player 10 feet and in as there is in the country. He will be complemented by an improved Ronald Ross, a 6-2 junior, and 6-1 freshman Jay Jackson from Monroe, La., in the backcourt. Jackson played with great poise and instincts in Tech's two wins.
Up front, Robert Tomaszek and Mikey Marshall return after inconsistent junior years, along with junior college transfers Devonne Giles and Mookie Works. But look for a freshman, Darryl Dora, to be a "sleeper" in Knight's rotation. How much production Knight gets from his frontcourt will be a key concern for Texas Tech, which is looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament after missing the dance last season.
It's taken less than three years for Knight to seem at home in Lubbock, in part because he has become as popular here as barbeque and Dr. Pepper. Each day at practice, seated in the first couple of rows of the United Spirit Arena (again, ironically located on Indiana Avenue), were elderly Red Raider fans who clearly enjoyed Knight's instruction, not to mentnion his many quips.
Having his sons Tim and Pat with him, as well as former players Stew Robinson, Michael Lewis, and Steve Downing around, has also eased his move to West Texas. People I talked with, close to the program, think Pat has been great for his father because he has become his "sounding board," and is not afraid to tell him what he thinks.
But, as always, Knight hasn't been afraid to tell anyone who asks what he thinks. He sees most things as black and white. Here isn't any gray.
When he was asked recently why he skipped the NABC ethics summit, he was quoted as saying, "I would rather listen to Saddam Hussein speak on civil rights than to some people speak about ethics." He was referring, of course, to some fellow head coaches being outspoken regarding coaching ethics, the same men who have been thought to cheat through the years. Knight said what he did publicly, while a lot of coaches I have talked to have echoed the same sentiments but, of course, privately.
As I said, I don't know Knight well -- privately or professionally. It's obvious that many of his mistakes over a Hall of Fame career have become public, and public opinion being what it can be, he has as many detractors as he does fans. But being as blunt and honest as Knight, I can only go by what I see today, and have experienced as a fellow coach.
When I was an assistant to Danny Nee at Ohio University, we played a very good Indiana squad at Assembly Hall in the mid-80's. After the game, which Indiana won 91-76, Knight told Nee to call him the next day. As it turned out, Knight wanted to tell us about our team, with regard to what gave the Hoosiers difficulty in the game and in areas where we could improve ourselves.
That next morning, Knight spent 45 minutes on the phone with Nee, and some of his thoughts about our team helped us go on and have a great season. He didn't have to do that, and until now, I'm not sure anyone beside the Ohio coaching staff knew about it.
My sense is, for all of his public "incidents," there are far more stories like this that go untold.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=1669325
