Knight article

[Pony_Fan]

By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News


LUBBOCK – The naysayers were wrong.

They said Bob Knight wouldn't last one full season at the helm of the Texas Tech men's basketball program. Surely his fiery demeanor would lead to an on-court meltdown of atomic proportions, prompting Tech officials to realize what a mistake it was bringing the Hall of Fame coach to Lubbock and giving him carte blanche over the stagnant team.

Twenty uneventful months later, Mr. Knight is still here, and he plans on settling down for the long term. Construction workers are putting the final touches on Mr. Knight's new home while Tech officials look for ways to take full advantage of his new Red Raider roots.

Mr. Knight, who is preparing for Tuesday's home game against Southern Methodist University, is holding up his end of the deal. He did not receive one technical foul last season and generally developed good relations with the media. He was fired in September 2000 by Indiana University officials for what they said was a violation of a zero tolerance behavioral policy.

The Red Raiders finished 23-9 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament, ending a streak of four consecutive losing seasons in the process. This year's squad could be even better. Mr. Knight needs 12 more wins to become the fourth coach in NCAA Division I history to notch 800 career victories.

As a bonus for Tech, Mr. Knight promotes the city as if he's the Chamber of Commerce president and sells the university as if it were Shangri-La. In almost every interview with national media, Mr. Knight talks about his enjoyment of meeting West Texas people. At speaking engagements, he encourages audiences to get to know Tech like he has.

Even though Mr. Knight likes living in Lubbock, don't call him a Texan. At least not yet.

"What's a Texan? I don't know what that is," said Mr. Knight, an Ohio native. "I'm an American.

"But I've really enjoyed living here. This has been a great place for us to live. And I really appreciate the acceptance we've had here. I wish the fishing was a little better, though."

School officials realize they must strike while the iron is hot. Using momentum created by Mr. Knight, Tech has initiated a bold student recruitment campaign. Fall enrollment was at an all-time high (27,407).

Fund-raising efforts have gone into overdrive, even though the school raised $500 million under former chancellor John T. Montford.

The athletic department's in-house regional television network has also expanded into the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This means 25 of Tech's 27 regular-season games will be televised in Tech's biggest alumni base. Officials hope potential students will see something exciting at United Spirit Arena and will want to join in on the fun.

Tech is the only school with this much TV exposure in North Texas. The Tech-SMU game Tuesday will be shown in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on KFWD-TV (Channel 52) at 8 p.m.

"Coach Knight has changed the whole atmosphere around here," said former Tech player Brodney Kennard (1998-2000). "When Texas Tech is on TV, all my friends say they want to watch Tech."

A basketball power?

All the Red Raiders have to do now is keep on winning, no easy task in the Big 12 Conference, one of the toughest in the country. Of course, the old saying is that no coach can build a basketball power in Texas, a state that cares about only two sports: football and spring football.

"I don't know whether you can or not," Mr. Knight said. "If I knew that, I should be sitting in the office next to President Bush."

His wife may disagree. "I think he can," said Karen Knight, a former Oklahoma high school girls basketball coach.

Ms. Knight was in charge of overseeing the new house, which the Knights are reluctant to talk about. Ms. Knight said her husband's life is so public, she prefers that the details about the house remain private.

The house is just minutes away from one of the city's movie theaters, though, which allows Mr. Knight to indulge in one of his favorite leisure activities. Then again, as Mr. Knight likes to say, he's never 10 minutes from anything in Lubbock – a big selling point.

"This couldn't have been a better place," Ms. Knight said. "I think the people here have the same values he does. People here are hard-working and disciplined. I just think he's really enjoyed it."

Bob Knight has also cashed in on his team's good fortune by starring in several Lubbock-area commercials.

The 62-year-old sings the praises of brand-name electronics in one spot and talks about "fast and friendly service and fair prices" when describing an auto shop in another. No other Lubbock personality hawks as many products as Mr. Knight.

Demanding but fair

In one sense, Mr. Knight has to promote himself. Any coach who comes to a new school does. After his arrival in March 2001, several top North Texas recruits said they would not play for Mr. Knight. However, that was before Mr. Knight and his assistants infiltrated the recruiting trails and met players and parents face to face.

Mr. Knight recently landed an oral commitment from Greenville, Texas, forward Justin Wilkerson. The commitment is noteworthy because the 16-year-old sophomore will not be eligible to join the Red Raiders until 2005.

Mr. Knight said he would like to recruit other players from the Dallas area. "We just want to get good basketball players from wherever we can get them," he said.

Current Tech players say Mr. Knight is demanding but fair. Mr. Knight's coaching style, though, could be considered an acquired taste and is not for everybody. To a man, the Red Raiders say they are happy. Mr. Knight's boss is happy with the results, too.

"Coach Knight has been everything we had hoped for and more," athletic director Gerald Myers said.

But just how long will Mr. Knight stay? Pat Knight, a Tech assistant coach, envisions his father coaching another 10 years at Tech.

Mr. Knight took one year off from coaching after being fired by Indiana University after a 29-year run. That one-year hiatus energized Mr. Knight, his son said.

Tech was the right place to return to the coaching ranks, Pat Knight said.

"We've gotten things going recruiting-wise, and with the fan base, I think we're in a great situation," Pat Knight said. "You can win a national championship here. Being in the Big 12 Conference and being a big state school, you've got a chance."