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Stay Hard Bobby Knight

Surly Bevo

By Surly Bevo
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Joined that big salad bar in the sky. Hellova basketball mind.  I was always split on whether I would have wanted him coaching my kids.The asshole quotient was off the charts.
 

I hope when he gets to his destination, Andre Emmett hollers out, ‘On the baseline, Coach!!!’

RIP Bobby Knight.

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32395

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30 years ago, I went to a coaching clinic just to hear Knight talk.  He was scheduled for an hour or so, and he delivered.  He talked X and 0's for about 5 minutes, then just started telling stories.   He was a lot like Leach in that regard, but his delivery and humor was different.  

RIP to an asshole.  Likeable asshole, and legendary.  

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7 minutes ago, SamsCorner said:

He got off humiliating and browbeating people. He liked to hurt.

He pushed people harder than some would push themselves. If you took his challenges and beat them, you were a god in his eyes.

That’s why I mentioned Andre Emmett above.  Took all of Knight’s bullshit and basically said, ‘ What else, ya got?’

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GhostOfTomJoad

GhostOfTomJoad 9324

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I know he left Indiana after less than a month for personal reasons and Knight likely didn't even have enough time to be that much of an asshole to him in person, but Larry Bird leaving cost him at least 2 more championships and probably more. And the thing is, Bird was the type of guy who could take any type of coaching.

I'm sure your family loved you, Bobby.

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DeepEastTexas

DeepEastTexas 640

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1 hour ago, Post Oak said:

 

In 1984, after coaching Michael Jordan on the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, Portland general manager Stu Inman called Knight for advice on the upcoming NBA draft. Knight counseled Inman to take Jordan, calling Jordan the best basketball player he had ever seen. Inman told Knight the Blazers already had Clyde Drexler and needed a center. Knight responded, "Then play Jordan at center."

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Victorious1

Victorious1 140

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23 minutes ago, DeepEastTexas said:

In 1984, after coaching Michael Jordan on the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team, Portland general manager Stu Inman called Knight for advice on the upcoming NBA draft. Knight counseled Inman to take Jordan, calling Jordan the best basketball player he had ever seen. Inman told Knight the Blazers already had Clyde Drexler and needed a center. Knight responded, "Then play Jordan at center."

With all the greats that came out of college in 1984 you think "how could a team fuck up a draft pick with the #2 pick?" and Portland managed to do it passing on Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, Stockton, Alvin Robertson, Otis Thorpe, Kevin Willis, etc. and picked Sam Bowie.

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Dewey

Dewey 3286

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He reminded me of my pops, bad temper but you would hear stories of him helping people he hardly knew. Sat in a press conference of Coach Knight's, my two drunk friends kept asking him questions and he kept answering them. The he left and the statesman had to run our quotes. He did more good than bad. 

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Roofle

Roofle 272

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2 hours ago, Underdog said:

I’m glad he went back to IU a few years ago for a bit of closure. 

He had absolutely zero clue he was there. Watch when he grabs Vitale for messing with his hair - the lights are on, but nobody's home.

Pat was there with him, so he gets to make the call if they do/don't go back to IU, but I always wondered if an all-the-way-there Knight would have ever returned before dying.

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Mdhorn

Mdhorn 5949

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3 hours ago, Leanderman said:

He can throw chairs when ever and where ever he wants to without getting T'ed up.

I still don't know how he didn't get ejected from the NC game against Syracuse.  Just let him get away with a hell of a lot more than almost any other coach.  

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Braff Zacklin

Braff Zacklin 13575

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Excellent article from Jay Bilas on the departed.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38489269/jay-bilas-liked-bob-knight-knew-died-age-83

Quote

The day after that game, Knight and I had stayed in New York to watch UConn play Kentucky in the Garden. It was John Calipari's first season at Kentucky, and we wanted to see it in person. While sitting in the stands watching the game, Knight leaned over to me and said he wanted to get my thoughts on something. "I think I really f---ed up last night with Tony La Russa after the game," he said. Knight then told me that his close friend and baseball legend La Russa had called him right after Indiana's win and told him he hoped Knight would go into the Hoosiers' postgame locker room. Knight said he told La Russa there was no way he was going to do that -- that it would take away from Indiana's win and make him the story. It would be unfair to the players and to Crean. La Russa didn't buy the explanation and pressed him on the issue, telling him he needed to be the "bigger man" and visit the locker room. Knight said he blew up at La Russa and told him, "Damn it, Tony, I'm not over it yet! I don't think I'll ever get over it!" He then hung up on La Russa.

Knight was genuinely affected by the exchange. From our discussion, it became clear to me that Knight wasn't angry at La Russa, and he wasn't angry at Indiana. But he was still hurt over his dismissal. While Knight was volatile at times, he was also intensely emotional and could be quick to tear up. He didn't know how to show it or voice it through the bravado he displayed. In that, he was always a throwback.

 

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squib

squib 1120

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In light of the story above. I had a young man I mentored in Lubbock during Knight’s time at Tech. His dad was a lawyer that did some work for BN it seems. So I am speaking at a conference in St. Louis and I run into this young man who is also there for the conference. He asks if I want to go the Cards game that night with him as his dad had secured him some tickets because of some dealings with BN. I ain’t no busta so I jump at the chance. 

We get to the game, and I ask mentee where our tickets might be. He said “Dad said just go to Will Call window.”  Head to Will Call and mentee says his name—she looks down at a sheet and then looks up and says “Who are you guys?” We respond we are just some guys from West Texas. She hands us tickets and keeps staring us down. In we go to the stadium, and we ask an usher near our gate to help us find the seats. He says “Who are you guys?” I started to catch on.

He says we need to follow him and he takes us through this secure area and leads us to front row seats between home plate and third. We sit down and the person a few seats over says “Who are you guys?”  Mentee then gets weirded out and calls his dad and asks “What’s up with these seats?” Dad says “Hell if I know. I mentioned to Knight in some meeting you were going to St. Louis and he asked if you wanted to go to the baseball game. I said yes. That is all I know.” 

Watch the first inning and interact with people around us. Finally one person asks us how we are related to Tony. Mentee says “Tony who?” Stranger friend says “La Russa dipshit, you are sitting in his family seats that they use when they don’t want to sit in the box.” 

Thanks Bobby. 

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'stache

'stache 21816

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In 2005 we Tech 85-56 to claim a share of the regular season title. Bob Knight had the following quote. I remember it as "those kids came to kick our ass" but I guess that part is more legend than real since I finally found the real quote. Still can't find the video. Either way, I always enjoyed the quote.

"Those kids came to beat us and we just came to play basketball. That was the main difference in the game."

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/250500197

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Napoleon

Napoleon 8682

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18 hours ago, Victorious1 said:

With all the greats that came out of college in 1984 you think "how could a team fuck up a draft pick with the #2 pick?" and Portland managed to do it passing on Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, Stockton, Alvin Robertson, Otis Thorpe, Kevin Willis, etc. and picked Sam Bowie.

Who do you think went #1 that year?

I am interested to learn from an NBA historian such as yourself.

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The Ace of Aces

The Ace of Aces 5184

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20 hours ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

I know he left Indiana after less than a month for personal reasons and Knight likely didn't even have enough time to be that much of an asshole to him in person, but Larry Bird leaving cost him at least 2 more championships and probably more. And the thing is, Bird was the type of guy who could take any type of coaching.

I'm sure your family loved you, Bobby.

Bird left IU because Knight ignored him when he was homesick. He literally went out of his way to avoid speaking to Bird.

My favorite Knight story is when Glenn Robinson was on a campus for a visit Knight couldn't be bothered to meet him. So Robinson went to Purdue instead of received the National Player of the Year award.

He picked on people smaller than him. The worst kind of bully. 

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