Goodbye Bobby Knight And Thanks For All The Memories

by Jon Johnston on Feb 5, 2008 12:58 AM CST in Basketball Comment 3 comments

When you first saw the news about Bobby Knight's resignation, your first response was "What did he do this time?", wasn't it? You may not have said it out loud, but that's exactly what you were thinking. I certainly was. It's a natural reaction.

Unapologetic most of the time, foul-mouthed, and volatile, whether he was throwing a chair across a court in 1985 or being accused of shooting too near someone's house, Knight is a walking contradiction. How else can you explain a guy that could produce the sound bites in the video shown below while being known for running clean programs and insisting upon graduating his players?

Here's a man who was fired by Indiana University in 2001 for "a pattern of unacceptable behavior", the same university who hired Kelvin Sampson away from Oklahoma after he'd been found guilty and punished for NCAA violations. So much for high standards.

Granted Knight could take things pretty far, but if you're one of those people who hate him what do you really hate him for? It is because he's an uncompromising son of a bitch in a world where everything is a compromise? Or it is because he was really really good at what he did while you wanted him to go crawl off into the tar pit with the other dinosaurs?

I love Bobby Knight, I do. I loved to hate him when his Hoosiers came up against the Minnesota Gophers (back when the Gophers played decent basketball and were a hot ticket here in the Twin Cities). I love to defend him against people who think that coaches are supposed to be lovable teddy-bear men that coddle and stroke the egos of poor, defenseless little boys playing basketball while simultaneously complaining that most athletes act like they own the world.

Knight stated he's resigned because he is tired and the time is right for his son Pat Knight to take over the Texas Tech program. It's a fair statement. Perhaps he finally recognized that the world has passed him by, that today's young players aren't willing to work hard enough to meet his standards and that it was time to go before he became more of a caricature than he already is.

God bless you, Coach Knight and thanks for all the memories. It's time for the teddy-bear men to take over.

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Well that's just mad truth

that I happen to totally agree with. The treatment that Bob Knight has received from the peanut gallery of naysayers who criticize his methods doesn't bode well for those of us who think a few more Bob Knights is just what the 21st century desperately needs. He's a member of a dying breed that will be missed. If ever there was a force that could slow the march towards me me me me me me me me me me collegiate sports, its champion was Bob Knight, and he's departed the game.

by Red Blooded on Feb 5, 2008 12:45 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I dont think

that the players today are any less willing to work then we were 25 years ago. The problem is that when the higher profile guys cry and bitch you now have ESPN and Fox Sports airing for a month and continuing to talk about long after it should have been dropped. Now the next guy sees that and says " hey I could be on the news for the next month just by bitching about something and it starts all over." How many times have you seen the video of Allen Iverson bitching because he got fined for not working in practice?

Now people look at that and go "dam kids today just dont want to work for what they get." and I say bull, that piece of shit just doesn't want to work to get it. I am a huge Georgetown basketball fan and loved to watch AI play when he was there, but he has become the poster boy for cry babies and is giving all sports, not just the NBA, a bad name. He is also one of the biggest reasons I cannot stand to watch pro basketball. As a high school coach I try to steer my kids away from watching that and try to get them to watch as much NCAA bball as the can. At least you can still see the team game being played there.

As I just said I do coach high school and I do see kids busting their butts everyday in practice so I dont think the majority of kids are lazy its just the one that are seem to get most of the news.

by taflorom on Feb 6, 2008 7:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs