Bobby Knight

[Chief00]

Jeff Goodman on Twitter: "Whether you love him or don’t like him, this was still some strong, emotional stuff with the return of Bob Knight to IU. https://post original url/7aQhRLry2f" / Twitter

Chief loves the guys as do his ex players and that tells you all that you need to know.

 

[BNich]

Yeah he was hanging on to Isaiah Thomas for dear life

this is dementia, folks

Horrible to see. Your previous post is sad to read.

 

[coachn]

Remember going to West Point in 1970 to watch my HS team during his camp. He was and still is the father of Ball You Man M-M Defense.
All M-M today is some variation of this. Had his book on defense and taught my players with all of the drills. Our HS Team played and won a lot of games with these principles.

 

[superjohn]

I mean not too many people are kicking ass at at 79.

but this is some sad stuff... dementia catching up... this was a year ago

Bob Knight - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

“On February 27, 2019, Don Fischer, who has been a radio announcer for IU sports for many years, said during an interview that Knight was in ill health. He continued by saying Knight’s health “has declined,” but did not offer any specifics.[35]

“On April 4th 2019 Knight made his first public appearance since Fischer made his comments. He appeared with longtime friend and journalist Bob Hammel and spoke about different aspects of his career. During the presentation, Knight seemed to struggle with his memory: he re-introduced his wife to the audience after doing so only 10 minutes earlier, he mistakenly said that former IU basketball player Landon Turner had died, and, after telling a story about Michael Jordan, he later told the same story, replacing Jordan with former IU basketball player Damon Bailey. [36]”

Never knew this. He's always been a pr1ck but maybe this explains him violently grabbing Vitale.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Never knew this. He's always been a pr1ck but maybe this explains him violently grabbing Vitale.

I didn’t either. I saw him haunched over and holding on to Isaiah and I looked up to see if he’s had back issues or something, after someone said he didn’t look great; usually the back and/or a hip is going out by now. And that’s what I came to learn.

you start to wonder how many more years he’s got if he’s forgetting things in 10 minute spans and confounding old significant memories. The latter is a sign of a pretty advanced dementia. And to think that he was contracted by ESPN until just 4ish years ago... seems to be moving along pretty quick...

 

[superjohn]

I didn’t either. I saw him haunched over and holding on to Isaiah and I looked up to see if he’s had back issues or something, after someone said he didn’t look great; usually the back and/or a hip is going out by now. And that’s what I came to learn.

you start to wonder how many more years he’s got if he’s forgetting things in 10 minute spans and forgetting key details of old memories. The latter is a sign of a pretty advanced dementia.

He also has about the worst case of rosacea on his nose that I've ever seen.

 

[Rocktheworld]

He also has about the worst case of rosacea on his nose that I've ever seen.

I know the twitter video had me thinking the contrast on the television it was recorded on was off, I haven’t seen a nose that purple since Tom Caughlin was coaching in the NY winter lol

 

[Rocktheworld]

Emotional Knight ends 20-year split with Indiana

The 79-year-old coach was honored at Assembly Hall during halftime of the Hoosiers' game against rival Purdue on Saturday.

www.espn.com

No quotes from knight (nobody interviewed him?) and no public address; “he didn’t need to”, per the article

On the day he returns to IU after shunning the program for 20 years. Yikes.

 

[Kathy]

Emotional Knight ends 20-year split with Indiana

The 79-year-old coach was honored at Assembly Hall during halftime of the Hoosiers' game against rival Purdue on Saturday.

www.espn.com

No quotes from knight (nobody interviewed him?) and no public address; “he didn’t need to”, per the article

On the day he returns to IU after shunning the program for 20 years. Yikes.

More than likely not done because of the dementia.

 

[Rocktheworld]

More than likely not done because of the dementia.

That’s the subtle point I was making

None of us were aware of anything like this; did IU tell people to not interview and not let him speak publicly? It’s just weird, this all seemed super planned with the former players there... an odd time to let a guy with dementia shuffle across some hardwood, and why do it after the event that I linked via Wikipedia? This is like ABC or whomever it was trotting out Dick Clark for New Years after he had his stroke

 

[ZenConn]

Great coach. Glad to see him back at IU. IMO, one of the best X and Os coaches ever.

 

[tuvent08]

Man, the Vitale interaction was sad and awkward.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I just watched the video in full. God it’s sad. Has to be pointed about like he half understands where he is. Now I understand why the former players were all emotional about him being around at IU again: they know that this is the most cogent they will see their General (as painful as it was) at IU, and that he is on the fast decline.

 

[Kitaman]

Man, the Vitale interaction was sad and awkward.

Vital wanted to hug his friend, but BK is not the same 'friend'. He yelled 'defense' and showed how its done. LOL That word seems to sum up all the great coaches.

Vitale handled it professionally, and still showed admiration and love. I doubt it phased him at his age.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The guy is a legend if you ask me. 902 wins and three titles. Not the easiest of folks and certainly feisty on my opinion, but the guy won.

I still think he was the best college coach I ever saw. Really got his teams to play well above their talent level year after year.

 

[Madmannsucks]

I thought you must be exaggerating but no. There's something really really wrong with that guy. That wasn't in the least bit playful, so goshdarn disrespectful to Vitale.

Westside Jeff on Twitter: "A very special moment as Bobby Knight returns to Assembly Hall for the first time in decades. I.U. nation celebrates. And he's still got the fire. Starting the "Defense" chant. #bobknight https://post original url/pBl3udKO2S" / Twitter

As someone with experience, he looks and acts like someone with either dementia or Alzheimers.

 

[QDOG5]

Chief loves the guys as do his ex players and that tells you all that you need to know.

I'm not sure Neil Reed(RIP) would agree with that.

 

[jibsey]

I just watched the video in full. God it’s sad. Has to be pointed about like he half understands where he is. Now I understand why the former players were all emotional about him being around at IU again: they know that this is the most cogent they will see their General (as painful as it was) at IU, and that he is on the fast decline.

People with severe dementia often do not like to be touched. Saw it up close myself. Bobby was a great coach but before this he was not a nice person to put it mildly. I think a similar thing happened several years ago with Vital and him right?

 

[MilliniumPrince]

He was a bully, a jackass, and a caveman in many ways. He is also the only coach I rank above JC for getting the most out of the talent around him. He could win with just about anyone.

But absolute power corrupts absolutely.

 

[CL82]

He threw the chair at Assembly Hall during an IU. He did coach the Olympic team in 1984 I think. Knight was a great coach. Gave some advice to JC once. Told him if you could be the coach at a school “university of” a state then strongly consider it because if you were successful you’d have the whole place behind you. JC obviously took that advice and thrived! For coaches of a certain generation, Knight was THE guy.

Yep, he also said that Big 10 was a conference of institutions but the Big East was a conference of coaches. Boy was right about the latter. When I think about the greats who coached there it in its relatively short existence, it really is staggering.

Heard the story a little differently. Calhoun had an offer from Northwestern and UConn. Bobby told him that the Big 10 was about the institutions and the Big East was about the coaches and suggested JC would have more success in the Big East coaching against some of the greats of the day.

He said both IIRC. Essentially he said that IU would always be a great basketball school whether he was there or not (ironic in hindsight) but that in the Big East coaches had more impact on the success or failure of their programs.

Regardless, he gave Calhoun advice that led him to UConn. That will always be a plus mark for me when I think of him.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Threw it during a game against Purdue in 1985.

Only 3 of 6 free throws made on the technicals shot by a guy who had been 20-21 from the line. Could it have been the thrown chair playing defense?

 

[Chief00]

It’s just sad that people feel embolden taking shots at Bobby Knight at this point or for that some disgruntled failed employee at St Joe’s throwing Calhoun under the bus for not picking something up off the floor when he just had half his stomach removed.

 

[Rocktheworld]

People with severe dementia often do not like to be touched. Saw it up close myself. Bobby was a great coach but before this he was not a nice person to put it mildly. I think a similar thing happened several years ago with Vital and him right?

Depends on the person, everyone is different

But yes there are some who do not like being touched or anything. Honestly, when I see it, I think it’s probably their learned defensive response from being poked and prodded and moved in the facilities they’re from

 

[mhshuskies]

Bobby is great. Wish there were more like him.

Oh yeah, we really need more giant a..holes!

 

[CL82]

Oh yeah, we really need more giant a..holes!

Yep, there seems to be no shortage of lesser ones, if you follow my drift.