ELItorial

Knight axed, but players still loyal

RICK STEWART/ALLSPORT Bobby Knight's spartan tactics have sent the Athenians running for cover...but he runs a tight ship.

After all, Knight was videotaped attacking one player during a 1997 practice and suspended for kicking and berating his own son on the sideline of a game several years earlier. He'd been fined numerous times by the Big 10 for comments regarding officiating in general and more pointed comments aimed at specific referees. And who can forget his infamous remark to Connie Chung—"if rape is inevitable, [women should] relax and enjoy it?"

And yet, one couldn't help but notice that it was after Knight was fired that his star guard, Dane Fife '02, announced, "We have been wronged." Fife wasn't alone. Sophomore forward George Leech referred to Brand as "a coward" and numerous players, including center Kirk Haston '01, threatened to quit if one of Knight's assistants wasn't named as his successor (Indiana announced Tuesday that Knight assistant Mike Davis would be named the interim head coach). I guess Knight went easy on these guys, reserving choke holds and whatnot for other players. Or, maybe they saw more in a man who has worn the red sweater fearlessly and loyally for nearly 30 years.

Bobby Knight is undeniably a disciplinarian. He coached and worked for the Army for eight years before beginning his stint at IU and if nothing else, the seemingly endless barrage of allegations and complaints suggest that he did not always handle adversity with ease. But every IU recruit knew that coming in; one gets the feeling that even if the coach's reputation didn't sufficiently precede him, he certainly did little to hide his commanding style in the presence of anyone, be it an alumnus, an official, or an officer of the school. His players knew what they were getting into, which might explain why despite the continued attacks against their drill sergeant, Knight's cadets are still very much backing him.

More importantly, while Knight is criticized for all the negatives associated with his coaching style, he receives no credit for what, especially by modern-day standards, should be considered an enormous positive: Bobby Knight ran a tight ship. How many times, in nearly four decades as a Division I head coach, was a Bobby Knight team accused of recruiting violations? How many times did one of his players have a run-in with the law? Or drug problems? Ever hear of Indiana basketball accused of serious NCAA violations?

What's more, Knight developed his players as people. Think of how few times IU players jump ship for the NBA after only their freshman or sophomore years. And when was the last time a Knight disciple whined about playing time once he made it to the leagues, or held out during training camp for more money, or, God forbid, attacked his coach? Can you imagine how Latrell Sprewell or Juwan Howard might have turned out if they had played for Indiana and not Alabama and Michigan?

Not even some of the true gentlemen, the legitimately respected coaches in the NCAA, can claim that type of a history. Look at Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, the epitome of all that is fair and just in the world of collegiate athletics. Although never substantiated, his players have been accused of gambling; his former star, Kerry Collins, nearly threw away his career with drug and gambling problems; and his current quarterback, Rashard Casey '00 is facing charges of assaulting a police officer outside a bar in Hoboken, New Jersey. Paterno allowed Casey to start the season in uniform. I can't imagine Knight would ever allow one of his players to get caught up in that kind of nonsense. Knight was not a Boy Scout, but then again, he never claimed he was. It seems awfully unfair to justify IU's decision to fire a man who kept their program clean and their players out of trouble for such a long period of time.

Knight will coach again; he has the desire, and already NBA and other college teams have expressed serious interest. Meanwhile, Bobby Knight's son, an IU assistant coach who quit when his father was fired, is also moving on, racking up offers from numerous colleges across the country. IU fans have now lost two of the best basketball coaches in the game, and this sorry season hasn't even started.

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