Bob from Lubbock gets contract extention

Bob Knight agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep the basketball coach at Texas Tech until 2009.

Athletic director Gerald Myers told The Associated Press on Wednesday the agreement probably will be signed next week. Knight's contract pays him $250,000 a year and runs through May 2006.

Knight needs 48 victories to overtake Dean Smith (879) as the winningest coach in Division I. He has led Texas Tech to three consecutive season of at least 20 wins and taken the Red Raiders to postseason play each year.

``I'm pleased with the direction our program,'' Myers said. ``He's done a great job turning everything around. I think the future really looks good for us.''

Knight is on vacation in Canada and was unavailable to comment Wednesday.

``I look forward to doing this a long time,'' he said in Wednesday's Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. ``This is the best possible situation for me as long as I coach.''

He will begin his fourth season at Tech -- his 39th overall -- with 832 wins. He is the victory leader among active coaches following the retirement of Jimmy Phelan of Mount St. Mary's in 2003.

Knight was hired by Texas Tech in 2001, six months after he was fired by Indiana for what then-school president Myles Brand called his ``pattern of unacceptable behavior.''

Rock On, \,,/ \,,/

I would rather see Coach at OSU. Shake things up a bit for a needy Big 10. Bob will never overcome all of the cheating in the Big 12. There will be no sexy parties for recruits at TT.

As I understand these contracts, (and please don't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong here), what that does is just increase the amount of money that Texas Tech would have to pay Knight should they want to fire him before his contract is finished (unless RMK violates some NCAA rule).

On the other hand, RMK almost surely has an escape clause in his TT contract which would allow him to take the job at his alma mater if it was offered to him.

Anyone who doesn't think it would be interesting to have RMK back in the Big Ten is out of touch with reality. Hell, the media would probably chip in and pay RMK's salary just for the stories it would generate!

I am anxiously awaiting how this turns out. I cannot imagine Coach not taking the gig if offered. Time will tell.

I like the terminology here.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> the agreement probably will be signed next week. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It is also convenient, the timing of this announcement.