Bobby Knight is .... well, Bobby Knight

[hifigator]

The third all-time winningest coach of all time is in hot or at least tepid water once again. During a time out last night he struck a player in the face. For those who haven't seen the footage (and I find that impossible) ... in any case, he was chastising a player who had just gotten an over the back rebounding foul. I am not sure if that is what made him upset or not ... in any case, as he was yelling/loudly talking to the player, he struck the player in the face to get his attention. The player was looking at the ground, not at Bobby's eyes. Exactly how hard the blow was is up for debate. The player was seen wincing on the bench as if to stretch his jaw. From what I have seen it didn't really look like that much, and in all honesty if this were almost any other coach we would probably never have heard about it. What do you all think?


Bobby Knight is now 5 wins behind Adolph Rupp and 8 wins behind all time win leader Dean Smith.

[Boz]

I agree with Fran Frischilla. This is not a big deal. It's only a big deal because it's Bobby Knight.

Of course, I had to thank myself again for not subscribing to ESPN Insider, since the title of Dougie "Someone Should've Slapped Me" Gottlieb's column about the incident is "Unacceptable."

Tool.

[hifigator]

I didn't see that article but I heard Colin Cowherd talking about it on the way to work this morning. He was taking calls from students in Lubbock, Tx. who were all up in arms for a number of reasons. SOme were complaining about his comments about Lubbock being a small market. Others took offense at his suggestions that Texas Tech isn't a big time hoops program like Indiana etc... I didn't know there were so many idiots in Lubbock, Tx. THey are trying to build their program .... more power to them. They are trying to upgrade their facilities ... more power to them. But to think that they have now "arrived" because they have this controversial legend leading your team is nuts.
Lastly, one caller was totally blasting Gotlieb and made some comment along the lines of "what does he know about basketball" and Cowherd cut him off right there. Colin pointed out that Gotlieb is #7 or #8 alltime in assists in college hoops. I honestly don't remember him playing. Does anyone remember him and when and where?

[Deleted]

hifigator said:

I honestly don't remember him playing. Does anyone remember him and when and where?

Novel idea - look it up yourself.

[hifigator]

buffalohoya said:

hifigator said:

I honestly don't remember him playing. Does anyone remember him and when and where?

Novel idea - look it up yourself.

Give it a rest bozo. It is a little more like conversation/trivia etc... But then again, why would I expect any less from you.

[VelvetElvis]

Wow! People calling up sports talk radio shows and taking extremely opposing positions or ranting about things outside of their knowledge base! That never happens! The next thing you know ESPN will start cross-promoting other Disney/ABC interests on MNF by having annoying guests in the booth!

[hifigator]

Well said Velvet. I just found it especially humorous that they were complaining that:

1. They are considered a "small market."

and

2. They are not an elite basketball program like Indiana.

In all honesty, I think Florida is well on its way to that type of National recognition, but even I don't think we have fully arrived at that level. And I don't mean to brag, but I do think we are a notch or two above Texas Tech, don't you think?

[VelvetElvis]

while Gainesville is no metropolis, your points were correct before about it being a better destination than Lubbock. Playing basketball in DeLand for Stetson is more desirable than Lubbock. Playing basketball in Valdosta or Macon, GA. is more desirable

[hifigator]

Deland is actually a gorgeous town. It is a really cool place. My brother-in-law went there and we still go down there every other year when we go play Stetson in baseball. It has a nice blend of "small town" friendliness and yet the feel of being a real city. And if you want the seediness for some reason, Orlando or Daytona are a very short drive away. There is a great little pub called the "Blind Pig."

I'm not sure I would agree with you on Macon. From my very limited experience, it doesn't have much to offer. But in fairness I have basicall driven through it and not much else.

[VelvetElvis]

/sarcasm/

[RockawayHoya]

Getting back to the point of the thread...

I don't think Knight did anything wrong. More importantly, the kid and his parents also don't think Knight did anything wrong. Maybe the media should get off of Knight's case and realize that he's one of the few remaining figures in college athletics who play a part in curbing the number of prima-donnas and look-at-me athletes in the pros. Sick of all the whining that goes on in the NBA? Tired of wide receivers in the NFL who won't shut up? Then don't get on guys like Bob Knight who actually demands respect for authority.

[DanMcQ]

Much ado about nothing.

"I'm sure there were some cases where I have been wrong but [Monday night] wasn't one of them," Knight said Tuesday. "I was trying to help a kid and I think I did.

"If I was confronted with the same set of circumstances I would do the exact same thing," Knight said.

"Mike has a confidence problem," Knight said. "He wants to play so badly that it hurts him. I told him, 'Mike we've got to have you playing in these circumstances.' I said, 'Are you OK playing in these circumstances?' He had his head down.

"I flipped his chin up and told him to look me right in the eye so he could do the job we want. I said, 'Can you?' And he said 'Yes,' and I said, 'OK, sit down and let's go.' If that's an issue then I'm living in the wrong country," Knight said.


Prince was quoted in Tuesday's Lubbock Avalanche-Journal as saying, "He was trying to teach me and I had my head down, so he raised my chin up. He was telling me to go out there and don't be afraid to make mistakes. He said I was being too hard on myself."

Associate head coach Pat Knight said Prince's parents, who were at the game Monday night, came by the office earlier Tuesday wondering what they could do to offer support.

"His parents were in total shock that anything was made out of this," Bob Knight said. "If Mike had his head hanging over a mistake again I'd flip his chin up tomorrow. I'm trying to get him to be the best player he can be and his parents' answer was that they didn't expect anything else."

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

hifigator said:

buffalohoya said:

Novel idea - look it up yourself.

Give it a rest bozo. It is a little more like conversation/trivia etc... But then again, why would I expect any less from you.

You give it a rest - you have 738 posts.

[Filo]

Knight is an egomaniac who flies off the handle every once in a while because he cannot control his temper. A far as the notion that this was an issue only because Knight did it, well...YEAH. Knight created the miscroscope by being an ass continually throughout his coaching career -- he created the problem and he'll have to deal with it.

After hearing Knight's explanation, and the fact that the kid and his parents have no problem with it, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. But I watch the replay again and I see a bully coach who could not control his temper yet again. Alright, it wasn't a hard slap, but it was not a casual "hear, let me adjust your chin so you can look me in the eye" touch either.

I think we are in trouble if we want Bobby Knight to be at the forefront of the new movement to reintroduce discipline to our youth. Perhaps we coud find someone who has shown self-discipline and may be able to lead by example.

[Thomas]

First on Doug Gottlieb, I know you all don't like him, but he was a good point guard for Oklahoma State in the late 90's(1999-2000). I believe he led the nation in assists. He played at a high level against good competition. As a senior, he was on Oklahoma State's regional final team that lost to Florida.

I agree with Filo. what Bobby Knight did is a big deal and he should be heavily criticized for what he did It's real simple to me, if you have a LONG history of acting like an A$$-HOLE(like Bobby Knight) you are going bashed for every little thing you do. If B.Knight acted like a respectable adult like most coaches do, he wouldn't go through things like this.

I couldn't believe Jay Bilas had the nerve to compare Roy Williams pushing Rayshawn Terry down the court(after he was showboating) to what Bobby Knight did. I thought J.Bilas was smarter than that. Striking a player in the face is a LOT worse than R.Williams positioning a player who was acting like a fool. ESPN is full of Bobby Knight apologists, I'm glad Doug Gottlieb was the one person to against them.

[hifigator]

rockawayhoya said:

Getting back to the point of the thread...

I don't think Knight did anything wrong. More importantly, the kid and his parents also don't think Knight did anything wrong. Maybe the media should get off of Knight's case and realize that he's one of the few remaining figures in college athletics who play a part in curbing the number of prima-donnas and look-at-me athletes in the pros. Sick of all the whining that goes on in the NBA? Tired of wide receivers in the NFL who won't shut up? Then don't get on guys like Bob Knight who actually demands respect for authority.

That is an excellent point and another view of the overall picture. One caller brought that up and pointed out that if we are tired of the "me first" attitude or the player being bigger than the game then we need more people to instill discipline. Whether you agree with the technique is another mater entirely. While saying Knight was wrong for how he did it, he did basically give him a pass and even went so far as to suggest more/stricter/sterner treatment would curb the hip hop culture mentality that we see far too much of. I know that is a very sensitive subject, but I thought he made an excellent point.

[RDF]

I just think it comes to down to fact that if you chose to play for Bobby Knight--you know what you are in for--and if something happens, why any surprise? Some people handle things differently then others and if doesn't effect me--which this didn't, why do I care? If kid, and his parents aren't bothered, why talk about it? If they were--different story. However they chose to go play at Texas Tech and it's not as if we live in Dark Ages and nobody has seen Knight's behavior in past--I think he's a good coach and likes the spotlight a lot more then he likes to pretend to despise it.

As for Fran Fraschilla coming to Knight's defense, I find it laughable that nobody has said "Well Fran, I guess what he did is better then whipping out his "equipment" and exposing it to team in a question of whether his players have any male genitalia and "intestinal fortitude".

Doug Gottlieb was a good PG who was kicked out of ND for stealing/credit card fraud. He basically got his job by doing a lot of interviews with ESPN Radio and be-friending the former host of Late Night on ESPN Radio--Todd Wright. He knows the game well but tends to get too personal about his opinion--if something he says ends up wrong--he will hold a grudge against the team that "let him down" and never give team he didn't expect to be any good (like Hoyas last year) credit. What is unfortunate is that is how today's media is more often then not.

Bobby Knight is what he is. Terrell Owens is what he is. Ron Artest is what he is--when you get these people on your team or to coach them, why expect them to behave any differently? You know what is coming and that is what media loves--they have topics to "fake debate" and pound into the ground. Without people like this--what is there to talk about--FIST DOUBLE FIST from the "Esh"? Mike Brey's mock turtle neck attire? Jim Calhoun spending an entire game on the court as the 11th player? Coach K somehow keeping same amount of hair despite his odd comb-over for 20 years now?

My question is has anyone gone the way of the dreaded "Bobby Knight contributes to the Library...." story that always comes out from pro-Knight supporters? That is automatic and then detractors will make him out as if he's Bin Laden. I just think Media is a joke and anything ESPN is loses credibility as they employ a former coke head--in Michael Irvin, a guy who Editeded on undercover cops--Gary Miller-or did employ him, a guy who has been suspended for sexual harrassment in Mike Tirico, and we know Gottlieb's track record, so who are they to talk about morals of others? I just wish Knight would've TKO'D Vitale and threw up the Tech "Six Shooter Salute" afterwards.

[hifigator]

How do you really feel RDF?