This fall, for the first time in nearly three decades, men's basketball at Indiana University will begin without Bobby Knight as head coach. Coach Knight was fired by university President Myles Brand on Sept. 10 after violating a zero-tolerance behavioral policy by grabbing and verbally rebuking a student who addressed him disrespectfully.
The zero-tolerance policy was implemented after numerous allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Knight against both his players and university employees came to light this spring, including a videotape that showed Knight choking former player Neil Reed during a practice.
Sept. 10 was a step in the right direction for Indiana University and its basketball program. Having become more of a public relations nightmare than a basketball coach, Knight probably should have been fired in the spring -- a move that would have allowed Indiana to maintain some dignity and would have saved Knight the trouble of trying to abide by a policy that he obviously couldn't.
The primary reason Knight lasted so long at Indiana was that the administration was willing to look the other way while he was winning. In the late 1990s, however, Knight's results, while still fairly decent, were dismal compared to his glory years -- including three NCAA championships -- in the '70s and '80s. The presence of a new coach (former assistant Mike Davis has been named interim head coach) will likely invigorate a program that has begun to slide into mediocrity. With any luck, Davis will be able to attract first-class recruits who want to play for a traditional power like Indiana, but don't want to live under the iron fist of Coach Knight.
Whether he believes it or not, Knight is fortunate that he was fired when he was. He still believed that he had the ability to lead Indiana to an NCAA championship, but most considered that an unlikely possibility. Furthermore, it is hard to conceive of Knight being able to coach under the cloud of a zero-tolerance behavioral policy. He would have had to completely overhaul the controlling and abusive style that worked for him for decades and do it all under the watchful eye of the media and the university's administration. There is no way a man as ridiculously stubborn as Knight could have accomplished this.
In short, the zero-tolerance policy set Knight up to fail, and he is lucky that he was dismissed now and not after the season begins. If there is any silver lining for Knight in this debacle, it is that he will perhaps see the error of his ways and at least attempt to get some help or try to change.
Whether he changes or not, America has definitely not seen the last of Bob Knight. He has made it completely clear that he wants to and will return to coaching, possibly even this season as an assistant in the NBA. New Indiana Pacers head coach Isiah Thomas, who played for Knight at Indiana, has made it known that he would welcome Knight on his staff in any capacity that he desired, and Knight has reportedly expressed some interest in helping out his former player. If Knight jumps to the NBA, however, he will have a tough time dealing with millionaire players who would be less than enthusiastic about his domineering style.
Much more likely for Knight will be a return to the college ranks. At this point, having already won three national titles, Knight is driven by the personal goal of eclipsing Dean Smith's record of most career victories " a goal that would take at least five to seven years to attain.
Some think that a college would have to be nuts to want Knight as its coach. It would be hard, however, for a financially strapped program with low attendance averages at a smaller Division I school to pass up the possibility of hiring Coach Knight. He would have no trouble filling stadiums at a new school and he would automatically give the school a nationally known name and a nationwide recruiting base.
Not just any program will work for Knight, however. He will have enough people knocking on his door that he will be able to dictate the terms of his employment and how much control he will have over his program. He will require that he be allowed to use any means within reason to achieve success and that the college he works for is tolerant of his shortcomings. One intriguing possibility for Knight is a return to Army, where he began his head coaching career.
Wherever he ends up, one thing is for sure: Bob Knight will have a significant impact on some college basketball program. Whether that is a positive or negative impact remains to be seen.
