Bobby Knight dead at 83

cover2

I've grown old
Lifetime Member
He was a tough nut and eventually the game passed him by, but he could coach and win. Very, very disciplined approach to the game…with a few exceptions.

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Concrete Helmet

Hook, Line, and Sinker
Lifetime Member
If memory serves me right, wasn't there some kind of connection between Knight and Grossman coming to UF to play for SOS?
 

78

Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Knight coached the '84 US Olympic team to a gold medal. Jordan was its star but the General was determined to break him down first, military-style. He made a teary-eyed MJ apologize to his teammates after a 4-14 shooting game against Germany that included several turnovers. Knight claimed Jordan had embarrassed himself.

He later called Jordan the best player he'd ever seen.
 

FireFoley

Senior Member
Lifetime Member
Great college basketball coach but not necessarily a great human being. Saw many a game at Assembly Hall when he was the coach as my brother attended IU for undergrad.
 

stephenPE

Senior Member
Lifetime Member
I remember that great undefeated team back in 74 I think. Benson Wilkerson May Buckner (those all came from memory) cant drag up the other one. He was such an assshole though. He wouldnt speak to Mike K for years over some bllshttt. A winner coaching his way but you treat people decently is my motto. I loved hearing him talk , though.
 

78

Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
I remember that great undefeated team back in 74 I think. Benson Wilkerson May Buckner (those all came from memory) cant drag up the other one. He was such an assshole though. He wouldnt speak to Mike K for years over some bllshttt. A winner coaching his way but you treat people decently is my motto. I loved hearing him talk , though.

Undefeated team was '76. Buckner played for Thornridge, a rival to my high school and a team many have called the best ever in Illinois. Our gym was packed for one game every year. Them.
 

Gator By Marriage

A convert to Gatorism
Lifetime Member
Knight coached the '84 US Olympic team to a gold medal. Jordan was its star but the General was determined to break him down first, military-style. He made a teary-eyed MJ apologize to his teammates after a 4-14 shooting game against Germany that included several turnovers. Knight claimed Jordan had embarrassed himself.

He later called Jordan the best player he'd ever seen.
I recall him being interviewed before the selections for that team were made about how he expected the roster to be broken down. He said the team would have 5 guards, 5 forwards, 3 centers, and Jordan.

One of the all-time great coaches. RIP Coach
 

Gator By Marriage

A convert to Gatorism
Lifetime Member
I remember that great undefeated team back in 74 I think. Benson Wilkerson May Buckner (those all came from memory) cant drag up the other one. He was such an assshole though. He wouldnt speak to Mike K for years over some bllshttt. A winner coaching his way but you treat people decently is my motto. I loved hearing him talk , though.
What was great about that team was how it accomplished that feat - the last team to do so - without having any real stars. Buckner was certainly the best player and had a decent NBA career, but was never an all-star. Several other guys played in the league, but were mostly journeymen.
 

Okeechobee Joe

Lost Ball in High Grass
Lifetime Member
I don’t think you can find two coaches with such contrasting personalities as the great John Wooden, an Indiana native, and the great Bobby Knight. Just goes to show you that not every great coach fits a certain mold. The will to win and not settling for anything less is what matters.
 

78

Dazed and Confused
Lifetime Member
Nothing was off limits in Knight's mind. He'd grab a player by the balls, tape pics of female genitals to their locker to make a point, ridicule them in front of the team. One former player claimed he tried to choke him at practice. It led to his firing.

He could be abrasive, abusive, an over-the-top bully. He was a product of his own past, having coached several seasons at Army, where he had a young point guard named Mike Krzyzewski. And he always won. Isiah Thomas' brother specifically asked Knight how he would protect him from Ku Klux clansmen at Indiana. Knight responded, "Well, if we're winning, they're going to look out for him." Isiah thought it was a great answer, his brother not so much.
 

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