End of an era

So Bob Knight retired today. Or at least he resigned, it’s not very clear at the moment. Given that it is Coach Knight we can’t say much for certain. It’s possible that he was fired or that he threatened to garrote a player at midcourt for missing a free throw. Anything is possible.

I have strange feelings towards Coach Knight as I tend to defend him more than most people. It’s not that I grew up cheering Indiana but I at least had grudging respect for his program. Isiah Thomas did go to a local high school so as a kid I was happy to see him win a championship at Indiana. Knight was a hard ass with a nasty temper but you knew that he was a good coach. I still remember being in the stands at Illinois-Indiana games and being able to hear Knight’s voice echoing through the arena. That impressed the hell out of me, mainly because I never could tell if Lou Henson was even awake on the sidelines.

(Plus whenever he walked on or off the court you had a feeling that he was going to punch out a band member. That always added to the enjoyment.)

So I never had the hatred towards Knight as I did towards Dean Smith or Roy Williams or that traitor Bill Self or Bruce Pearl, the man personally responsible for having me endure four years of bad basketball at Illinois. Plus, as a Duke fan I was well aware that Coach K played for and coached with Knight. I couldn’t hate Indiana because they played the same type of basketball that I loved at Duke. Motion offense, man to man defense and a tendency to scrap their way to victory.

What I’ve always found interesting is that Knight and Coach K are really the same coach with just a difference in perception. Coach K hides his anger and volatility better. He has an image of being this kind teacher but I’ve read more than a few accounts of him just unloading on players and refs and any media members who happen to be around. Hell, in the early 90’s there was a great story about Coach K unleashing a tirade on a reporter from the student newspaper. But the public doesn’t really see that side. They see the calm public persona. Whereas with Knight it was all out in the open.

I think the real difference between Coach K and Knight (and it is why Duke became more successful than Indiana) is the way the two coaches connected with the players. At Duke it is clear that Coach K cares about each player. He might swear at them and work them to death but each guy knows that he has his back. Knight didn’t show that type of emotion. Not that he didn’t feel that way, if you know the story of Landon Turner you know that Knight cared more than almost any coach I have ever seen. But he didn’t make it clear and a player had to be mature enough to understand that connection. And as time went on and players grew less and less accustomed to tough love he began to lose touch with his team.

It’s just not going to be the same without him on the sidelines. But after nine hundred wins maybe it is time to take a little break.