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Message: [QUOTE="The Yakk, post: 4738783, member: 9988"] My HS coach had a hand-written notebook on the principles of man-to-man defense. Stuff he had compiled over years of coaching--what works and what does not. Probably a couple hundred pages of detailed notes. He said that about half of it came from Bobby Knight in the 60's and 70's. From Knight's coaching clinics, and from just following Knight around and picking his brain when he could. Once in a while he would pull out the notebook and drill us on one of the concepts. But he never let us see the pages. I was always dying to get my hands on it, LOL. I was a sponge, I wanted to know everything. I think some of my teammates were bored by it, and just wanted to run up and down the court and ball out. You could see Knight's genius when he called a game on TV, too. He just saw the game at a different level. Al McGuire was the same way, for those old enough to remember him. I am a lifelong fan of Jim Calhoun, but if I have to win one single game with my life at stake I am taking Knight as my coach. Of course I'd take Calhoun, and maybe Pitino or Larry Brown if I had to. Bill Self, no chance. Matt Painter? I would try to maneuver the other team into taking him. We might remember Knight differently if his descent into alcoholism did not ruin him. And I guess that's part of judging a coach too. It's hard to reach your kids when you are choking them out. [/QUOTE]