After Knight passes.

[StLHoosier]

I’m not condoning what Knight did, but I’ve always thought he got a bad wrap.  I can remember my dad doing the exact same thing to me, that Knight did to Reid, when I was about 19 years old.  I was being completely disrespectful, and it was more of a “listen here buddy” type moment.  Hell when I grew up, I had to go and cut my own switch to get whipped with.  Was it abuse back then?  Maybe, but it definitely shaped me to who I am today (better person).  Every now and again we need some tough love imo.  People can take it too far, but I don’t think it’s as black and white as most people try to make it, as with most things.

TLDR: Times have changed.  What is considered abuse today, wasn’t even batted an eye at 30 years ago.

[mrflynn03]

I didnt know him on a personal level, i was just a kid then.  But I attended his basketball camps for 4 consecutive years from 1994-1998. I would have been 10-14 years old at this time. During his camps I remember him being tough and vulgar but I was never put off by him. During camps he coached like a coach would at the time. My high school coaches weren't much different. 

My dad and I won the game ball from the 1992 iu vs duke final four game in a radio contest.  I will never forget waiting outside the locker room to get autographs. I got most of the team and coaches and coach knight had no problem signing the ball and shaking hands.

My dad was obsessed with iu basketball . I remember once shooting around on the south end of assembly hall one day with my dad. I remember I was shooting threes and coach knight and norm ellenberger walked by and I said I will play for you one day.  Coach knight said get your ass down on the post. At the time I was about 6'2" and 200.  I didnt grow much bigger than that unfortunately.   I never was good enough to make it but it was a cool experience.

Coach knight  could be an asshole at times but I do believe he meant well.  

[FW_Hoosier]

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a game thread right now instead of arguing over ancient history that’s been rehashed a million times over?

[mrflynn03]

2 minutes ago, FW_Hoosier said:

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a game thread right now instead of arguing over ancient history that’s been rehashed a million times over?

Yes It would.  I think Archie can make It happen  

[Seeking6]

5 hours ago, FW_Hoosier said:

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a game thread right now instead of arguing over ancient history that’s been rehashed a million times over?

Would love it. Until we win another title it's going to be brought up unfortunately. 

[dbmhoosier]

Mile I told you before.  After he passes they will build one and then have buried upside down right outside Assembly Hall. 

[NCHoosier32]

would love to see a statue of The General at IU.

[NCHoosier32]

8 hours ago, StLHoosier said:

I’m not condoning what Knight did, but I’ve always thought he got a bad wrap.  I can remember my dad doing the exact same thing to me, that Knight did to Reid, when I was about 19 years old.  I was being completely disrespectful, and it was more of a “listen here buddy” type moment.  Hell when I grew up, I had to go and cut my own switch to get whipped with.  Was it abuse back then?  Maybe, but it definitely shaped me to who I am today (better person).  Every now and again we need some tough love imo.  People can take it too far, but I don’t think it’s as black and white as most people try to make it, as with most things.

TLDR: Times have changed.  What is considered abuse today, wasn’t even batted an eye at 30 years ago.

we have many on this thread who have a holier than thou mentality.  not many perfect people out there.  Pete Rose was not a Hall of Fame person and neither was Ty Cobb, but both are Hall of Fame baseball worthy.  The General was not a Hall of Fame person while at IU, but he's one of the all-time best coaches.  

[Mac]

11 hours ago, Seeking6 said:

Arguing the point is futile.

But I thought the whole reason Al Gore invented the internet was so that people could have futile arguments with each other.

[Proud2BAHoosier]

8 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

I didnt know him on a personal level, i was just a kid then.  But I attended his basketball camps for 4 consecutive years from 1994-1998. I would have been 10-14 years old at this time. During his camps I remember him being tough and vulgar but I was never put off by him. During camps he coached like a coach would at the time. My high school coaches weren't much different. 

My dad and I won the game ball from the 1992 iu vs duke final four game in a radio contest.  I will never forget waiting outside the locker room to get autographs. I got most of the team and coaches and coach knight had no problem signing the ball and shaking hands.

My dad was obsessed with iu basketball . I remember once shooting around on the south end of assembly hall one day with my dad. I remember I was shooting threes and coach knight and norm ellenberger walked by and I said I will play for you one day.  Coach knight said get your ass down on the post. At the time I was about 6'2" and 200.  I didnt grow much bigger than that unfortunately.   I never was good enough to make it but it was a cool experience.

Coach knight  could be an asshole at times but I do believe he meant well.  

I'll piggyback on your post if you don't mind.

We took our son to a couple of RMKs BBall camps too. He was in grade school at the time. At the beginning of camp all of the parents and the kids gatehered in a room. Everybody was talking and it was noisy, anxiously awaiting RMKs arrival. When he walked in the room, there was dead silence. You could hear a pin drop, he commanded that kind of respect.

It's too bad things have turned out like they have.....

[Jacarcio]

TBH I still want knight and IU to kiss and make up before he passes. I hate that there is that much bad blood still ( very one sided I think). The guy is a coaching legend and should be treated as such. Sure he had anger issues and made mistakes who hasn't. 

IU is still greater than any one man and the ship moves forward. 

[Zuckerkorn]

Unless there is a true "thawing of relations" on RMK's part, we should honor his wishes and abstain from naming anything for him.  That could change if he genuinely decides to drop the grudge.  Despite whatever perceived grievances he has, the fact is that is that he was a brilliant coach who could be a real ass and he got copious leeway for years simply because he was winning.

[milehiiu]

To my understanding the Everett Dean statue is the only individual statue that was erected in AH.

The one of Branch McCracken has him standing next to Bill Garrett :

 

So, my question is :   If IU were ever to erect a statue of Coach Knight, and knowing he had a chance to be part of the undefeated Hoosier team statue..... should Knight's statue (assuming it ever gets erected)...  be a stand alone like Coach Dean's..... or with just one player.... like Coach McCracken ?  And who should that player be ?

[rico]

42 minutes ago, milehiiu said:

To my understanding the Everett Dean statue is the only individual statue that was erected in AH.

The one of Branch McCracken has him standing next to Bill Garrett :

 

So, my question is :   If IU were ever to erect a statue of Coach Knight, and knowing he had a chance to be part of the undefeated Hoosier team statue..... should Knight's statue (assuming it ever gets erected)...  be a stand alone like Coach Dean's..... or with just one player.... like Coach McCracken ?  And who should that player be ?

If it were to be with one player........I would pick Landon Turner.

[milehiiu]

1 minute ago, rico said:

If it were to be with one player........I would pick Landon Turner.

I did not even think of Landon.  I think that's a great choice.

[rico]

5 minutes ago, milehiiu said:

I did not even think of Landon.  I think that's a great choice.

Have Landon in a uni sitting in a wheel chair.  Embodied what RMK did for his kids.

[milehiiu]

9 minutes ago, rico said:

Have Landon in a uni sitting in a wheel chair.  Embodied what RMK did for his kids.

One other thing that Knight did for Landon, which I am sure you are aware of.... but for others that may not know, or remember.  Knight got his friends at the Boston Celtics, even after the accident, to draft Landon.  Something that Landon still talks about to this day, as something that was very special to him at the time. 

[rico]

4 minutes ago, milehiiu said:

One other thing that Knight did for Landon, which I am sure you are aware of.... but for others that may not know, or remember.  Knight got his friends at the Boston Celtics, even after the accident, to draft Landon.  Something that Landon still talks about to this day, as something that was very special to him at the time. 

No other kid showed what the General was about more than Landon.  And yes, I was aware of that.

[Billingsley99]

14 hours ago, Montana Hoosier said:

Well I do know him personally and it’s to be expected from someone that is as polarizing as he is to shut out everything, including fans.

I will tell you his displeasure for IU isn’t the fans nor the players it’s the fact he got fired for stuff that was common place back when he was a coach and that is why he won’t go back.

I will tell you some stories that are completely different than what you experienced.

My grandpa got to know Knight in the mid 70s and ever since then we have been IU. When he won the coach of the year in 87 he brought my grandpa with him for the awards ceremony and my grandpa from MT, was the only guy at the ceremony with a cowboy hat, haha classic. When they were headed back to the hotel he gave my grandpa his gold plaque for coach of the year, it still hangs in the house. Second story, after I graduated high school Knight sent me and my twin brother Texas tech swag, with a nice note telling us that high school is only a step. My favorite story was when he flew us out to IU to watch IU play Minnesota, all paid for by him personally, we got to sit in on the coaches meeting after practice the day before and listen to their game plan on how to stop Jacobson from Minn the next day, it was so cool. Oh and his son married a girl from Circle, MT and my twin brother and I got to be ushers as youngsters for the wedding.

Knight did all of this for my family and me, not because we live in MT and had places to hunt, because we don’t. My family doesn’t own a sliver of land in MT, he just really liked my grandpa and treated everybody in our family as if he knew us forever.

long story short, the guy has a great heart and if you watch and only listen to the news on him, you will come to the wrong conclusion. He is a good guy and still to this day loves IU, the IU current players, past IU players, and especially the fans. However, he doesn’t like how IU was hypocritical in firing him and used  him as a scape goat.

Great story i have a few personal stories but none like that. I agree with your sentiments. Thanks for sharing.

[Proud2BAHoosier]

14 hours ago, Montana Hoosier said:

Well I do know him personally and it’s to be expected from someone that is as polarizing as he is to shut out everything, including fans.

I will tell you his displeasure for IU isn’t the fans nor the players it’s the fact he got fired for stuff that was common place back when he was a coach and that is why he won’t go back.

I will tell you some stories that are completely different than what you experienced.

My grandpa got to know Knight in the mid 70s and ever since then we have been IU. When he won the coach of the year in 87 he brought my grandpa with him for the awards ceremony and my grandpa from MT, was the only guy at the ceremony with a cowboy hat, haha classic. When they were headed back to the hotel he gave my grandpa his gold plaque for coach of the year, it still hangs in the house. Second story, after I graduated high school Knight sent me and my twin brother Texas tech swag, with a nice note telling us that high school is only a step. My favorite story was when he flew us out to IU to watch IU play Minnesota, all paid for by him personally, we got to sit in on the coaches meeting after practice the day before and listen to their game plan on how to stop Jacobson from Minn the next day, it was so cool. Oh and his son married a girl from Circle, MT and my twin brother and I got to be ushers as youngsters for the wedding.

Knight did all of this for my family and me, not because we live in MT and had places to hunt, because we don’t. My family doesn’t own a sliver of land in MT, he just really liked my grandpa and treated everybody in our family as if he knew us forever.

long story short, the guy has a great heart and if you watch and only listen to the news on him, you will come to the wrong conclusion. He is a good guy and still to this day loves IU, the IU current players, past IU players, and especially the fans. However, he doesn’t like how IU was hypocritical in firing him and used  him as a scape goat.

This is indeed a great story. I also have one, not nearly as good. Many years back my father-in-law was suffering with terminal cancer. At the time we had 2 nephews (who were brothers), attending IU. They sent a letter to the AD explaining how their grandpa was a big fan of Hoosier BBall. Not only did RMK send him one but also included a letter that said if his health would allow him to travel, he would arrange to have tickets to a game right behind the bench. Unfortunately, he was not able to go. I will always remember that.

[Mac]

8 hours ago, milehiiu said:

One other thing that Knight did for Landon, which I am sure you are aware of.... but for others that may not know, or remember.  Knight got his friends at the Boston Celtics, even after the accident, to draft Landon.  Something that Landon still talks about to this day, as something that was very special to him at the time. 

  Red Auerbach, specifically, agreed to do that. He's a big part of that great story. I was going to suggest Quinn, but, yeah, Landon would be the guy.

[milehiiu]

10 minutes ago, Mac said:

  Red Auerbach, specifically, agreed to do that. He's a big part of that great story. I was going to suggest Quinn, but, yeah, Landon would be the guy.

Your are correct.  Red in his own right was a heck of a coach, is the one who pulled the trigger.