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Knight has every reason to be proud Posted: Tuesday March 26, 2002 5:22 PM
In mid-January I visited with Indiana coach Mike Davis in a hotel suite in Columbus, Ohio, a few hours before the Hoosiers were to take on Ohio State. No interview with Davis is complete unless it includes The Subject, which no doubt will be a dominant theme this weekend in Atlanta. You might think that bringing Indiana to the Final Four for the first time in 10 years would allow Davis to gain some distance from the spectre of Bob Knight, but the truth is, it only brings that specter more closely into focus. That is unfortunate, but it is also quite appropriate.
As we all know, Knight and Davis have not spoken since Davis was hired in the wake of Knight's firing in September 2000. Apparently, in taking the job of a lifetime when it was offered to him, Davis committed the cardinal sin of showing less than 100 percent loyalty to his ex-boss. You probably also know that Knight has been a disruptive presence for Davis on the recruiting trail, especially in the highly publicized courtship of Sean May, a 6-foot-8 forward from Bloomington whose dad, Scott, played for Knight. Sean and Scott visited Knight at Texas Tech a few days before Sean, who was being recruited assiduously by Davis, committed to play for North Carolina. Furthermore, many so-called Knight loyalists, both inside the university and out, have made life difficult for Davis, questioning everything from his decision to scuttle Knight's motion offense in favor of pro-style sets to his clumsiness (read: honesty) in front of the media. You won't hear much from those folks this weekend, but just wait until Indiana's first three-game losing streak next season. When I met with Davis back in January, he had just been through yet another Knight-related controversy, the release of his deposition testimony in a civil suit that made it appear that Davis had been critical of Knight's hypertense coaching style. Yet far from looking to distance himself from Knight, Davis lamented the gap that had come between them. "It always seems to come off like I don't like Coach, but that's unfair to him because he taught me a great deal about basketball," Davis said. "Being with Coach for three years was like 20 years with someone else. He taught me so much about preparation. He let the assistants run practice, he'd go over every detail with us. Nobody is better than him at making adjustments. "I don't think I'll ever get credit for being one of Coach's coaches, the way Coach K is, or the way Billy Donovan is one of Rick Pitino's guys. I don't have any hard feelings against Coach. How can I? Where would I be today without him?" The thing is, Knight has every reason to feel tremendous pride that the Hoosiers are back in the Final Four. After all, he had a big part in making it happen. He recruited many of the players, he hired Davis and prepared him to be a head coach, and he helped build Indiana into the type of program that could reach the Final Four during what was supposed to be a down year. Yet I'm guessing there's a part of Knight that doesn't want IU or Davis to succeed, and if that's so, it is a shame. It would be especially unfortunate because in so many respects, Knight has had a very good year. Last October he presented Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, his former assistant at Army and Indiana, for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The two had undergone a bitter divorce of sorts, but Knight was incredibly graceful and eloquent in his speech, and the once-jilted Coach K clearly was moved. Knight also apparently has mended fences with Iowa coach Steve Alford, the former Hoosiers legend who called Knight for advice and encouragement in the midst of the Hawkeyes' disastrous season. And of course, Knight did a magnificent job at Texas Tech this season, getting the most out of limited talent and inserting himself as a positive force in all aspects of the university. When the Red Raiders bowed out of the NCAA tournament in the first round, Knight was classy in defeat, congratulating Southern Illinois and praising his own players for a fine season. Knight should root for Davis if only because Davis is so easy to root for. A humble, soft-spoken man who grew up poor in Alabama, Davis is truly grateful for his situation, despite all the headaches that come with the job. Back in January, Davis beamed as he told of his three-year-old son, Antoine, lying in bed with him one morning, sipping Kool-Aid (his favorite drink), then turning to his father and saying, "Dad, life is good." Davis broke out laughing. "I don't know where he got it from, but he was right," Davis said. "Here I am, coaching one of the top five programs in the history of basketball, financially things are going well, my players are good boys who work hard for me. Even for me to be in this hotel room is amazing to me. I walked in and thought, Man, I wish my friends could see me in here. So, yeah, life is good." While it would be unfortunate if The Subject detracts from Davis' and his players' enjoyment this weekend, Davis will be the first to credit Knight for helping to make Indiana's Final Four run happen. Maybe in the coming months Knight will find it in his heart to pick up the phone and congratulate Davis on a job well done, because I know the gesture would be warmly received. Antoine Davis is indeed a wise little kid. Life is good, and it's way too short for petty egos and long-held grudges. Sports Illustrated staff writer Seth Davis covers the college basketball beat for the
magazine and is a regular contributor to
CNNSI.com.
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Indiana guard Dane Fife recalls the relief he felt when the Hoosiers beat Duke and discusses the relationship he has forged with head coach Mike Davis.
