At
Indiana, Knight's hard-nosed approach at Indiana reaped large benefits:
11 Big Ten Conference titles, five Final Fours, one NIT championship
(1979), one 32-0 undefeated season (1976) and three NCAA championships
(1976, 1981, 1987). Bob Knight-coached teams are mirror images of the
head man: disciplined, tough, smart, focused, tenacious. You'll hardly
ever find a Knight team that beats itself. The Hoosiers were well
schooled. They played fundamentally sound and consistent basketball.
Expect the same from the Red Raiders of Texas Tech.
Knight began the 2003-2004 college season at Texas Tech 70 victories
(809-314) behind former North Carolina coach Dean Smith, who is the
all-time winningest coach in the history of NCAA Division I men's
college basketball. At the time of his 800th victory, Knight trailed
Smith by 81 victories; Tech had a 13-4 overall record. He finished the
2002-2003 season with a 22-13 record at Texas Tech.
Knight learned the game while playing college basketball at Ohio State
under the late Hall of Fame coach Fred Taylor who led the Buckeyes to
the national championship in 1960 at age 33. Although playing only a
supporting role with the Buckeyes, Knight was on the Ohio State team
that won the 1960 NCAA championship. Shortly after graduation, the
24-year-old Knight became head coach at West Point, earning the
distinction of becoming the youngest varsity coach in major college
history. Using his years studying the Taylor method and overcoming his
own shortcomings as a player to inspire his coaching, Knight's Army
teams finished 102-50, led the nation in team defense three consecutive
years and participated in four NIT tournaments in five seasons. Knight
coached West Point teams that stressed structured and tightly controlled
styles of play.
When Knight left West Point in 1971, he called the decision "the
toughest in my life." However, Knight had dreamed of coaching in the Big
10 Conference and an offer from Indiana University made that dream a
reality. During his first decade in the Big 10, Knight's coaching
strategies changed the nature of play from run-and-gun to ball control.
As a result of Knight's coaching, Big 10 games were exceedingly intense
and hard-fought affairs. Knight's success at Indiana has been based on
his ability to instill quality fundamentals in his players, rarely
making a bad pass or taking an ill-advised shot. Knight is truly a
legend; 16 of his former assistant coaches have become head coaches at
the collegiate level. Knight is a four-time national Coach of the Year
(1975, 1976, 1987, 1989).
