Mixed feelings. I was fortunate to grow up in Louisville during the 70s and 80s and having the opportunity to watch Knight, Crum, Digger, and the team 70 miles to the east of Louisville. No ESPN, but all of their games were shown on local tv. I have tremendous respect for what he has accomplished. He should be proud. Not only of his on court results, but for the out of the spotlight acts, such as what he did for Landon Turner (Hell of a player, as mentioned before), and the conscious effort to give credit to those who shaped and taught him the game, such as Clair Bee and Pete Newell. His humility and kindness in acts such as those show a side not emphasized by the media, and show a respect for the game and it's history, while understanding the bigger picture.
On the flip side, the bullying and brashness just never set well with me. As a life long UL fan, Crum was the exact opposite in regards to approach in coaching. Both were highly successful. I just preferred Denny's approach to Bob's. The standards he set for his team were sometimes hard to live up to for himself. His actions in Puerto Rico and the chair throwing were inexcusable and embarrasing to IU and the game as a whole. As for other "stories" that have transpired over the years, such as the bull whip, his "discipline" methods, the seeming pettiness of feuds with Alford and Coach K....
(although I always like the shots he took at Lou Henson for some reason: sidebar: I remeber a story when IU was losing big to Illinois. Knight was quoted as saying something like, " when I looked down the sideline and saw who I was coaching against, I knew we had a chance. " Good times),
....to his condescension to guys like Jeremy Schapp, it just rubbed me the wrong way. I understand that Knight probably hadn't changed, but access to his every move had increased immeasurably. I always appreciated the way he spoke his mind. I'd like to think I'm the same way in that regard. But there are always consequences in some dose.
All of that being said, he has done far more good than bad. History will be kind to him I think. It makes me stop and think how fast time flies. Doesn't seem like it's been 30 years since the undefeated season. I'm officially old. :lolBIG:
