Pawn takes red Knight. Check mate.
Bobby Knight, the head basketball coach at Indiana University for 28 years, was fired on Sunday, Sept. 10. Night has fallen on the coach, and it's a brand new day in Indiana. The man more powerful in Indiana than the Governor, more meaningful a symbol than the Hoosier the state was named after, has been rendered powerless.
Knight, whose career at Indiana has been a torrid blend of success and controversy, was put on a zero-tolerance policy by school president Myles Brand on May 15 after a seven-week investigation of the coach's choking of Neil Reed during a 1997 practice. Knight was on the tightest leash the school could find. He had to agree to a code of conduct, was suspended for three games, forced to apologize to those he had wronged in the past, and fined $30,000.
As much money as the school has paid him in the last two decades, Knight should have been able to look under his couch pillows to pay off the fine, and the few apologies he has given in the past have beenanything but sincere.
Coach Knight: Yeah, Neil, I'm sorry that your neck was in the way when I was wringing my own hands. And I'm also sorry that you heard me screaming profanities at you, they were meant to be quiet and behind your back.
Knight need not worry about the three-game suspension either. As for the code of conduct - it appears that Mr. Knight ran out of toilet paper, because he seems to have forgotten about any code and certainly doesn't remember agreeing to adhere to its conduct.
The coach's latest episode involves a freshman who yelled to the coach "Hey, what's up Knight." Bobby Knight, who apparently likes being called by his last name as much as the average person likes being called "dirt", allegedly grabbed the freshman by the arm, whirled him around, and cursed at him for his disrespect.
Freshmen, welcome to Indiana. Here's your course book, your dorm key, and your introductory neck wringing. Around the corner, you can pick up your ID card and your complimentary cursing.
Whether the coach actually grabbed the freshman is a drop in the water compared to the overall picture in Bloomington. There is both tragedy and comedy in the situation, but neither is particularly pleasant for the people of Indiana.
The greatest tragedy is that both the situation and the people surrounding Knight set him up to fail. Knight, after coming over from the Army in 1972 (where his aggressive style was compatible with theMilitary Academy), was put on a pedestal. Basketball in Indiana is more important to most men than their wives, and they had found themselves a coach who could make the state proud. And for that, Knight could do no wrong.
Imagine driving around a state where everyone knew who you were; the cops would let you off with a warning because you beat Ohio State last night. It's ignorant to say that this is all Knight's fault. The school and the state of Indiana gave Knight so much power and made the line so thin that when he unknowingly crossed it, many of his former friends and supporters turned on him.
On the other hand, it would be equally as ignorant to say that this isn't Knight's fault. The coach saw a situation and took advantage of it. There has to be something in your head that tells you that it's notokay to choke your shooting guard, and that it's not okay to get physical with your power forward. But that thing that we all have doesn't work in Knight's head, and now he's paying for it with his job.
If you give someone an inch, he'll take a mile. The state of Indiana gave Knight a mile, and he took the whole damn state. But now he has to give it back, and while there's no doubt that he should be fired (in fact, there's little doubt that he should have been fired on May 15th), it is true that college basketball is losing one of its greatest coaches ever.
Knight is fifth all time in wins amongst college coaches, and posted a 661-240 record with the Hoosiers. He won three National Championships and coached the 1984 US Basketball team to the Gold Medal. He was twice the National Coach of the Year, once the Naismith Coach of the Year, and six times the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Other than controversy, Knight should be remembered for two things. First, Knight got more out of his players than any coach ever has. Knight didn't always recruit the most talented stars - he recruitedplayers he could mend and build his way, and he was successful doing it. Like Frank Sinatra, he did it his way, and it worked.
He did recruit one very talented star and built him into a superstar. Knight should always be remembered for giving the NBA Isiah Thomas, one of the most exciting point guards to ever play the game.
But Knight's accomplishments can't outweigh the fact that he abused some of his players and was an eyesore for the Hoosiers. Through his own fault and the fault of the school, Knight has worn out his welcome.
So there will no longer be a large man stalking the sidelines in Bloomington in a bright red sweater with bright red cheeks throwing a bright red chair onto the court.
The lights are now out for Knight.
