Though the legendary basketball coach was in Muncie to speak with fans and students, Bob Knight found his way to a locker room.
He spoke to the Ball State men’s basketball team prior to taking the stage Thursday night at John R. Emens Auditorium. Even though he didn’t have to, Knight met with the team to offer advice in both life and basketball.
“It’s not what [Knight] was brought in to do,” head coach James Whitford said. “The fact that he went out of his way to do it, I thought said a lot about him.”
As Whitford enters his first season with Ball State, he was able to speak one-on-one with a coach that won more than 900 career games, three national championships and an Olympic gold medal.
Knight was fired from Indiana in 2000 after the last in a string of conduct issues. When Kent Harvey greeted him in a way he believed was too casual, Knight grabbed the freshman by the arm.
Previously, Knight had been punished for choking one of Indiana’s players, Neil Reed, in practice. University president Myles Brand announced Knight’s firing, calling him “defiant and hostile,” the Associated Press reported.
Whitford said Knight was able to give him some practical basketball advice for his young team.
“[Knight] talked to me about the importance of designing practice so all of the guys get repetitions in practice and how to use practice to get maximum results,” he said.
It wasn’t all basketball talk, though. Knight stressed the importance of academics to the players and how a scholarship can change an athlete’s life.
“It was great to have someone like Bob Knight, a legend and a great coach and teacher of basketball,” senior forward Majok Majok said.
College basketball should be a stepping stone that leads into the real world, Knight said. He looked forward to when his players looked past the life on the court.
“Where it wasn’t just basketball,” he said Thursday at Emens. “But to have a player say ‘thanks, the way you made me play is really going to help me in life.’”
Majok said Knight was confident in what he said to the team. It made it easy for him to believe in what Knight taught — everything from how to be the best possible team player, to not skipping an 8 a.m. class.
Knight’s wisdom isn’t outdated just yet. Majok took note of one of Knight’s most emphasized points in attaining success on the court.
“The game hasn’t evolved,” Majok said. “If you take the right steps in preparation, then you can succeed. Even though he coached in a different time, the game hasn’t changed. You just play hard and play smart; it’s simple.”
The men’s basketball team has practiced for just more than a week a now, and Whitford said he is happy with the concentration and the focus of his players.
Whether Whitford is able to add more value to practice, or players are able to add more value to their personal lives, Knight’s time with the team is sure to have an impact.
“It was really neat, and I thought [it was] a great lesson for our guys,” Whitford said. “[Knight] made some really good points, and obviously, when it comes from someone with his stature, it goes a long way.”
