TW: A little different flavor for a midday post. It is October after all, aka the month during which college basketball practice starts. Folks always ask me (given my nearly lifelong devotion to IU basketball) my opinion of Knight. My answer: great coach during the 70's and 80's, flaming asshole from day one, curmudgeonly societal misfit and intellectual bully who stayed way too long at I.U.
Back when he started and full of piss and vinegar he was a brilliant coach especially given the cheating scum bags who populated the coaching ranks at the time (hello Lou Henson, Joe B. Hall etc.). His ability to conduct a winning program whilst retaining the program's honor is a huge accomplishment. And has set a high standard for the university that will hopefully be retained now that the scurvy bastard named Sampson has left.
Listen to his players who stayed almost to a man they relish the experience. But at some point his success got to him, he lost focus on the program, spent less time recruiting etc. and most importantly a new generation of coaches (coach K, Williams, Izzo etc.) emerged with talent and without so much drama. We (anyone who was there in the 70's in Btown) always said Knight would stay at IU as long as he won. He left because IU basketball just was not that good anymore.
Knight is a brilliant intellect, he chooses to bully rather than integrate with the rest of society. Everyone must follow his rules and code of honor instead of him meeting them half way or even a quarter of the way. Does not make him wrong, it does make him somewhat dysfunctional in everyday society.
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