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Knight time in Lubbock Texas Tech to announce ex-Indiana coach Friday
Updated: Thursday March 22, 2001 6:22 PM
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Get out the red sweaters. Bob Knight is about to be Coach Knight again. Texas Tech scheduled a news conference Friday evening on the basketball court at United Spirit Arena, where the school is expected to introduce Knight as the Red Raiders' 12th head coach. Chancellor John Montford contacted the university's regents Thursday and told them he would go forward with hiring Knight, said regent James Sowell. "He's one of the winningest all-time coaches," Sowell said after Montford told him of the university's plans. "He's proven that he is a winner. Typically when you hire a coach, you hope that you are hiring a winner." He will replace James Dickey, who was fired March 9 after four consecutive losing seasons. Indiana fired the 60-year-old Knight last fall after he violated a zero-tolerance behavior policy imposed by the university. Tech athletic director Gerald Myers has recommended Knight to university president David Schmidly. Schmidly said he planned to accept Myers' choice and presented the recommendations to Montford on Thursday. The Web edition of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that Knight would accept Tech's offer. Many in this agriculture-based city believe Tech's decision to hire Knight will result in more Red Raider wins. Knight had 723 wins, 11 Big Ten Championships, three national championships and an Olympic gold medal during his 29 years at Indiana. The momentum started building long before university officials scheduled the news conference. Red Raider Outfitter, a clothing store that specializes in Texas Tech items, began printing T-shirts shortly after word began to spread that Knight might be interested, said Stephen Spiegelberg, vice president of retail operations. "It's been nuts ever since," Spiegelberg said. The store has sold about 2,200 T-shirts welcoming Knight to Lubbock. "Mr. Knight. We love your style. Texans for Knight -- Supporting Discipline and the American work ethic," the T-shirt says. The store also has a red and black camouflage T-shirt. If the T-shirts and excitement surrounding Knight's arrival aren't enough, the school hopes free sodas and popcorn will attract fans back to the arena. The basketball team's performance hasn't been much of a draw over the past four years. The Red Raiders finished 9-19 this season and posted an official attendance of 9,560 in the 15,050-seat arena. However, some games had about 2,000 in the stands. Meanwhile, Knight already has begun scouting for new talent. He was in Hutchinson, Kan., on Tuesday for the national junior college tournament, where two Tech signees were playing. And he called Bellaire High School coach Dave Hudek on Wednesday to let him know he wanted forward Emeka Okafor to visit Tech and hopes to sign him, Houston TV station KRIV reported. Knight, who has called Texas Tech "very appealing," can't be hired as Tech's coach until a 10-day waiting period expires Friday. Schmidly said the school wants to act as quickly as possible to keep from missing any recruiting. Knight's son, Pat, an assistant coach at Akron, is expected to become one of his father's assistants at Tech. A secretary at the school said he was out of town Thursday and will not return until next week.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about Knight's arrival. About 50 faculty members, including history professor Ron Rainger, voiced concerns about Knight at a meeting Wednesday. Rainger said there was less opposition than anticipated. "I was somewhat surprised and a little bit disappointed that there were not a lot of faculty members who had much to say," Rainger said. Schmidly said he spoke with Knight about his behavior during a meeting with his wife. According to Schmidly, Knight said he wasn't proud of some of his past behavior. "I think he really is a person looking for a fresh start,"
Schmidly said. "I think he is one of the best basketball coaches
to ever live."
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