The news was stunning to most Monday night but not to Demon basketball coach Mike McConathy, who predicted during our 2007-ending trip to Texas Tech that legendary coach Bob Knight was in his final season.
Knight handed the reigns of the Red Raiders program over to his son Pat on Monday, in a sudden and surprising move.
But Coach Mike felt it coming. He has some friends who are friends of Coach Knight, and from what he'd picked up from them and through the grapevine, he said while we were in West Texas that it wouldn't surprise him if this season was Knight's last one.
Turns out it was, and that makes the Dec. 29 visit to Lubbock something that I'll treasure a lot more than I would have otherwise. Knight is the kind of figure who tends to create either reverence or revulsion. His career has been well documented and debated. Bottom line is that Knight is the winningest Division I men's basketball coach ever, and nobody can deny that he loves the game of basketball, coaching and teaching.
So let me tell you what I saw and heard while in Lubbock:
Assistant coach Mark Slessinger, who grew up in Bloomington, and whose mother has been an usher adjacent to the Indiana bench for more than 20 years, has tremendous respect for Coach Knight and had to be thrilled to coach against him. It was an added bonus that one of Knight's closest friends, retired Bloomington sports editor Bob Hammel, was on hand for the game and sitting next to the Demons' bench. Sless was able to greet Mr. Hammel before the game and they had a nice visit.
Sless brought along on the trip his copy of Knight's autobiography, co-authored by Hammel. It was never his intention to get it autographed, but he was persuaded to put his professionalism aside and get a keepsake that his kids and others would treasure. Both Coach Knight and Hammel kindly inscribed it to Sless and the book was returned to him before the team rolled out of Lubbock.
Coach Knight didn't take the court until about a minute before lineups were introduced. He walked straight down to visit with Coach Mike, and quickly brought up their common friends. He was very gracious and asked Coach Mike if he could join Knight and Hammel for dinner that evening. Unfortunately the team's travel had us leaving for Stillwater after the game -- that's one time I wished we were flying on a puddle jumper, so McConathy could have enjoyed an evening with a seminal figure in college coaching.
After the game, talking with my counterpart at Texas Tech, I learned that Knight had expressed his admiration for Coach Mike and his approach to the game and to the NSU program. Whatever else you may read or hear about Knight, you have to understand he is deeply committed to his players, staff and support group, and to their benefit. That's common ground with McConathy.
As people at TTU told me during our football visit there, if you are in Knight's circle, it's wonderful. He is an engaging personality and ultra-loyal supporter for those folks. Stand with him and he will stand for you.
My lasting memory of Coach Knight will be how the game ended that day. It was a rough afternoon for the Demons, who overcame a miserable first half and battled gamely in the last 20 minutes. Still, the Red Raiders hit the 95-point mark with well over three minutes left to play. They didn't score again.
It wasn't by accident. Many "big time" coaches would have left in their top players, and left the throttle open now matter who was on the floor, especially if they were subs who didn't get a lot of opportunity to play. Not Coach Knight.
He had the little-used players out there for the final several minutes. When the score got to 95, it was interesting to notice Tech players passing up open jumpers and working the ball around the Demons' defense. It was obvious if you thought about what was happening -- Coach Knight had told his players, in essence, "the only way you shoot is if you have a layup. I won't keep you from scoring, but you will have to earn it. We're not going to show up this team. You have to respect the game and the opponent no matter what the situation."
OK, that might be the Clair Bee version, but I firmly believe he told the Red Raiders nothing other than a layup was acceptable, trying to keep the score under 100.
Then, at the end of the game, I watched for the postgame handshake. We'd watched tapes of three games on the bus ride out, and let's just say that Coach Knight gave the courtesy handshake and then turned for the locker room at the end of those games. Didn't have a word for the opposing coach, didn't greet the assistants. That's not all that uncommon in the high end of college hoops. It's been his style for years. To each, his own.
But he met Coach Mike, shook his hand, and then put his right hand on Coach Mike's shoulder. In fact, he wanted to have a conversation, but Coach Mike didn't notice (much to his chagrin later, hoping he didn't offend Coach Knight). Instead, McConathy went down the line as he always does, even in the crazed excitement after the game-winning NCAA Tournament shot over Iowa, even after the most painful losses. He shakes every hand of every opponent and his team does, too. It's been his style for years.
I'll always wonder what Coach Knight would have said to Coach Mike. Clearly, it was going to be something encouraging. And he didn't have to take that tact. So say what you will about Bob Knight, and there's been plenty said -- but college basketball took a hit today, in my view.
Doug Ireland, SID
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