T1B

Rivals.com Staff Reports

Bob Knight, the winningest NCAA men's division I basketball coach in history, has retired as Texas Tech's coach effective immediately.

Knight, 67, won his 902nd game Saturday when the Red Raiders downed Oklahoma State. He will be replaced by his son, Pat. Knight informed athletic director Gerald Myers of his decision Monday morning.

Knight: A Look Back

Knight won three national titles at Indiana, in 1976, '81 and '87. In all, he took the Hoosiers to 24 NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Final Four two other times.

During his tenure at Texas Tech, Knight was 138-82, and he led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament in four of his six seasons, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2005. The Red Raiders are 11-8 this season and 3-3 in the Big 12, tied for sixth in the conference with Oklahoma.

Knight is one of six men who have played and coached in the Final Four. He played for Ohio State when the Buckeyes reached the Final Four in 1960, '61 and '62. He and Dean Smith are the only mean who have played and coached for a national champion.

Knight's three national titles are tied for third-most, behind John Wooden's 10 and Adolph Rupp's four. Mike Krzyzewski, who played for Knight at Army, also has three titles. Krzyzewski began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Indiana under Knight in 1974.

Knight's five Final Four appearances are tied for sixth all-time.

He also coached U.S. teams to gold medals in the 1979 Pan American Games and the 1984 Olympics.

Knight perhaps is as well-known for his temper and behavior as he is for his win total. He was fired at Indiana on Sept. 10, 2000, by then-IU president Myles Brand for what Brand termed a continuing pattern of "defiant and hostile" behavior.

Knight always has taken great pride in the academic achievement of his players, and during his coaching career, which began in 1965 at Army, all but four of his four-year players completed degrees, a ratio of nearly 98 percent.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Thanks, Bobby. Except we already knew that Knight retired. Now the story is WHY. Get to work.

Exclusive: Knight speaks about resignation decision
BY JEFF WALKER
Monday, February 04, 2008
Story broke at 5:30 p.m.
Story last updated at 2/4/2008 - 7:18 pm

When Bob Knight arrived in Lubbock, he was greeted by a large, loud crowd at United Spirit Arena.

There will be far less pomp and circumstance for his departure.

Knight, in his seventh season as Texas Tech’s head coach, informed athletic director Gerald Myers on Monday morning he was retiring, effective immediately.

Knight said he has contemplated retirement and thought about doing it after this season. But after talking to good friend and legendary basketball coach Pete Newell on Sunday, Knight believed now was the best time to begin the transition phase of having son, Pat, take over the program.

Pat Knight has been the head coach designate since 2005.

“There’s a transition that’s going to take place here from me to Pat and I’ve dwelt on this all year long — about what would be the best way to do this, and how it would be best for him and for the team and for what we can do in the long run to make this the best thing for Texas Tech,” said Knight, who retires with 902 career victories. “I didn’t know, I’ve never really known when I was going to step down from this job. As I thought about it, my first thought was at the end of this season.”

Knight said he spoke with Newell for about an hour and an half Sunday.

“My thinking was that for Pat and for this team — most of which is returning next year — the best thing for the long run for this team would be for Pat and his staff to coach these remaining 10 games,” Knight said. “And (to) get an understanding, get a real feel for each other, be able to think over the course of the spring and summer going into next season about how people had played, how things had been done offensively or defensively, what could be done or couldn’t be done, what to stay away from, what to work on and develop that from a game standpoint as the coach in charge of everything rather than as an assistant coach.

“It was always a problem for me as to just what would be the most effective way in this transition, to make this transition. And with all the thought that I put into it, that’s exactly how I felt that it should be.”

Knight said he informed the team prior to practice Monday. The Red Raiders (12-8, 3-3) will play at Baylor on Wednesday.

Myers was in a similar situation more than three decades ago when he took over the Red Raiders’ program mid-season. He said he was surprised when Knight told him Monday he was stepping down, but he also understood Knight’s reasoning.

“I think I do understand why he decided to do it at this particular time,” said Myers, who took over as head coach in January, 1971, before coaching 20 more years at Tech. “He felt it was the right time for him to step down and I’ll miss him. He’s done an outstanding job for this basketball program of building it up. He brought more recognition to the program, to the university and to the city of Lubbock than anybody, in my opinion. It was great to have him on our staff and he was great to work with.”

Knight said this is not a health issue, though he said, “I feel better today than I did on Saturday.”

The Red Raiders won Knight’s final game, 67-60, over Oklahoma State, leaving him with 902 career victories. He compiled 138 wins in seven seasons at Tech, compiling a 138-82 record. His .627 winning percentage is the highest in Tech men’s basketball history. Berl Huffman is second at (.609) in three seasons.

Screw_Michigan wrote:"I don't care about 900." -- RMK

Sure you did, Bob.

Believe the Heupel wrote:Who the FUCK names their kid KENO?

Believe the Heupel wrote:Keno?

Who the FUCK names their kid KENO?

IndyFrisco wrote:

Screw_Michigan wrote:"I don't care about 900." -- RMK

Sure you did, Bob.

exactly.

Happy trails, Knight.

It would be nice if Assembly Hall's court bore the name of Indiana's greatest coach.

RMK, Senior Day, '94 wrote:"When my time on Earth is done, and my activities here are passed, I WANT THAT THEY bury me upside down and my critics can kiss my ass."

Shine wrote:

It would be nice if Assembly Hall's court bore the name of Indiana's greatest coach.

I guess hack doesn't realize that the IU court already has a name. It's Branch McCracken court, you know that guy who won 2 titles before Knight was ever around.

and why his name probably will never adorn that Assembly Hall hardwood.

Mace wrote:

SunCoastSooner wrote:Good Riddance to bad rubbish! I'm thankful that his antics and overall attitude are no longer associated with the Big 12.

I for one think it is a good thing that he will always be associated with a Big 10 school and not Texas Tech where he fiished ouyt. He's an embarressment to college basketball regardless of wins and titles!

It's okay, SCS, 'cause no one will ever associate the Big 12 with college basketball.

As for Knight, he was one of the best coaches of all time. You can argue his methods, his volatile personality, whatever criticism you'd like to point out, but the bottom line is that he WON. The mold has pretty much been broken because today's players are too spoiled and too big of pussies to play for a guy like him....or Woody Hays, Vince Lombardi, or any other old school strict disciplinarian you'd like to mention. Knight turned pussies into men....except for Isaiah....he left too early to learn the lessons.

Mace

SunCoastSooner wrote: Yeah because Kansas doesn't have more national titles and tourny appearances than any school in the Big Televen.

Oklahoma and Kansas State aren't also in the top 10 all time in Final 4 appearances.

It's only the college basketball world's imagination that the Big 12 has Thirty-one (31) more NCAA tourny apperances than the Big Televen (205 > 174)

Lets not let facts get in the way of a stupid argument though, Mace.
SCS

Screw_Michigan wrote: Fuck RMK.

Sin,
Hick from French Lick

Bird was born Dec. 7, 1956, in West Baden, Ind., and raised in French Lick, Ind. He averaged 31 points, 21 rebounds and four assists as a senior for Springs Valley High School, earning a scholarship to Indiana University. But the 17-year-old found the adjustment from a town of 2,059 to a campus of 33,000 confusing. After less than a month, before basketball practice even started, Bird unobtrusively returned home.

"People naturally think it was trouble between (Bobby) Knight and me, but it wasn't," Bird said. "The school was just too big. I was a homesick kid who was lost and broke."

Mace wrote:Knight turned pussies into men....except for Isaiah....he left too early to learn the lessons.

Degenerate wrote:Funny you would say that lionizing someone who:

1) Quit on a team halfway through the season.

IndyFrisco wrote:No, leave it to a Hoosier to have blind loyalty which Shine suffers from.

His good may have outweighed his bad, but his bad is pretty bad.