Shining In The Shadow Of Knight

Just because Indiana University Coach Bobby Knight, that mellowing maniac, has not punched a player, strangled a referee, pistol-whipped a writer or howled at the moon in the last few minutes, is no reason to ignore his team. After all, the Hoosiers are undefeated in 18 games this season. Practically uncontested, too. As a team they are solid residents of the No. 1 spot in all the polls. As individuals, unlike their coach, they are unranked and unrecognized.

What the men of Indiana have done, apparently without realizing it, is become almost too good too soon. They started mowing down the opposition before anybody had time to learn their names. This dangerous practice usually is called peaking early; the extraordinary thing is that the Hoosiers peak again every time a center jump is called.

By the end of last week, after Indiana had assaulted its closest challenger in the Big Ten, Purdue, by the hilarious score of 104-71, the Hoosiers possessed not only a perfect record but the widest average victory margin in the land, 27 points per game. They also had the sixth best offense, the 12th best defense and a .520 shooting percentage, and were ranked high in rebounding, yet their leading scorer was only 12th in the Big Ten and their top rebounder stood 10th. Balance is golden.

Starting Forward Steve Green had the flu last week, so the Hoosiers opened against Purdue with their sixth man, the amazing John Laskowski, in the lineup. He scored 13 points in the first half. Then Indiana went to vastly improved Center Kent Boston for five quick baskets after the intermission. When Benson came out to rest his shooting arm, reserve Tom Abernethy replaced him, and there was no appreciable change in the attack, except perhaps a faster tempo. Forward Scott May made 11 of 15 shots and 23 points. The Hoosiers fouled out Purdue star John Garrett and held the Boilermakers to 12 points in the first 14 minutes of the second half. Then the mop-up brigade checked in, and Knight halted play to instruct freshman Mark Haymore to tuck his drawstring inside his pants. And, oh, yes—Laskowski took another shot in the second half. He missed. There is still hope.

To cope with being No. 1, Knight has begun playing inspirational tapes by legendary figures and reading biographies to his troops. Storybook time has included Pete Newell, Jack Nicklaus and Rudyard Kipling. " Kipling's my favorite," says substitute Steve Ahlfeld. "He's no sports guy."

"I'm just pushing the buttons," says Knight. "My language is coming along too." Formerly the Emperior of Expletives, the new Knight has had only one technical foul all season, while rival coaches have been penalized 12 times. "I'm not so much 18 and 0," says the coach, "as I am 1 and 12. I'm not getting any more bleeping mellow, you son of a bleep-bleep. I'm only getting bleeping smarter." The Emperor is coming right along, all right.

Indiana's exploits, if not Knight's new courtside vocabulary, have been accorded raves by the opposition. Coach Fred Taylor of Ohio State says you must play Indiana cautiously, "like making love to a porcupine." Gus Ganakas, the coach of Michigan State, speaks of the Hoosiers' "mobile bulkiness." And John Lotz of Florida congratulated his Gators after they lost to the Hoosiers by only 14 points. When Indiana whipped Iowa 102-49, Hawkeye Coach Lute Olsen kicked over a chair in the opening minute and later said, "There were stars in my guys' eyes."

Similar awe has enveloped Kentucky, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Creighton, all squads which had their systems cleansed by the Hoosiers and have gone on to become tough customers since the slaughter. Against Indiana, each was behind by as many as 32 points before Knight called off the hunt. Even Minnesota's Gophers, the strongboys from the north, who held the Hoosiers close for 30 minutes, succumbed 79-59 after Indiana's spread attack forced the Gophers out of their zone.

Despite such glorious numbers, the team has not grown complacent. "We are playing against our potential, not our opponents," says Laskowski. "There are no easy teams. We respect everybody." Being more realistic, May says, "I guess we really are blowing people off the face of the earth."

It was in Indiana's only close contest that the team gained its self-confidence. Forced into overtime at Kansas in the second game of the season, May rescued the Hoosiers with four straight come-from-behind baskets. "The last one hit only string and I knew that baby was over," May said. But, as usual, it was left to Laskowski to sink the winning bucket. Knight says his noted bench-warmer "has won more games in more different ways than anybody, including John Havlicek."