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I started watching/listening to IU basketball in the '50's so I remember the Knight years from start to finish. That he was a great basketball coach is a given. He professed so many values that seemed so right and yet acted at times so badly. I have never understood him and to this day I'm not sure exactly how I feel about Coach Knight.

Here's 4 minutes of him being more athletic than a bunch of kids that suck at basketball: http://youtu.be/b91pP_UAfSo

I have sat in on RMK practices and they were intense...he was about perfection....his mind on the game was so detailed that at times it was difficult to follow...he truly pulled some crazy stuff before my eyes but at the same time was so kind. He really was like talking to two different people at times...But if you make it through his system..you have an ally you wouldn't believe. Recently, he is failing... Not on the top of his game... Repeats things over and over and loses track of what he is saying in his stories. I just wish there was a peaceful ending for everyone while he is still here.

I went to school at IU from 1994 to 1999.  I only ever directly exchanged words with RMK one time, although I was in the vicinity of his wrath on another occasion.   I was on the Student Athletic Board (SAB) for various assignments as a student and for one year, I got to do some work in the basement of Assembly Hall.    The one time I actually spoke to RMK, I was exiting The Hall during daytime hours with my SAB Director.  RMK was coming in right at the moment we were leaving, he was dressed as if he had come back from fishing.  I don't remember his exact words anymore but he said something along the lines of "How are you boys doing?" and we just said "Good, coach!".  And that was that.  lol   The wrath, that happened one night at Assembly Hall during the 1996-97 season.  We had meetings in the basement at night.  On on particular night, as I walked in I noticed the players were walking in with me.  Patterson, Reed, Miller, etc.  Met up with the other SAB guys in front of the trophy case at the main entrance to wait for our director.  As we waited, the assistant coaches came in too.  Dakich waved at us.    Anyways, not more than a minute or two after the assistants walked in, we could suddenly hear RMK just cussing up a blue streak about something.  He must have been in his office.  We never saw him walk in.  But boy he was pissed about something.  We all looked at each other like 'oh shit' and about that time, the person we were waiting on arrived so we made our way downstairs.   Oh and I was at the infamous Teddy V game against Illinois, and yes I thought Bobby was going to go Woody Hayes on him at the end of the first half.  The gasps were audible in my section as he approached TV Ted. 

One thing I will say (though I generally try to be a bit more level headed and understanding about our current performance) I really long for the days where we had seasons that didn't induce any panic and despair at all. I want a season where we don't even have to question whether the sky is falling or not...The last one that I can remember is 1994...Even in 2002 we lost a bunch of Big Ten games and then just got hot at the right time.   I will say that I believe a lot of good things are happening this season considering our roster, but that our current roster should never have happened either. We should never have been this imbalanced...Luke Fischer transferred because of the cancerous culture that Crean allowed to develop and perhaps the recruitment of Vonleh even contributed to that. He may not have the substance abuse reputation that others on the team had but I think that it is clear that he brought a "me first" mentality to the locker room last year.   So while the sky is not falling this year necessarily, it would be nice to not have to imagine the worst case scenarios going forward: like...what if yogi leaves, what if troy leaves, what if jbj leaves, or if none of that happens, what if it all happens the next year and the graduations of Hanner and Zeisloft are added to the list. In such a case I have no confidence in the current staffs ability to prop the sky up...and I am tired of have to imagine those scenarios.

Maybe Hanner can transform into Ray Tolbert in his return down the B1G stretch? How's that for sunshine pumping.

This may have been addressed already in this thread, but what Michigan just did to land Harbaugh is exactly what Indiana would have to do. I think there are better coaches than Crean out there, I also think it would take some serious $$$ to lure them away from where they are to come here.

Michigan crushed today at Home vs Iowa. We better take care of business. Honestly, should be an easy one.

For the love of all things IU basketball, can someone at IU teach Chuck Martin how to use Twitter? Hilarious.   https://twitter.com/chuckmartiniu   On a serious note, he seemingly has been a fantastic replacement for Kenny Johnson; he might even align with Crean's philosophy a bit better.

I feel he's a phenomenal basketball mind, and a very complex person.  He did good things off the basketball court, the money he raised for the IU library system and he gave money to a library fund at Texas Tech, you didn't hear of nearly as much; and we're all very familiar with the controversies that followed him.   Like I said, a basketball mind with few equals and a very complex individual.

It absolutely should've been handled differently.   No one will ever deny RMK had issues, his issues had issues.  I'll admit I'm an unashamed and unapologetic Bob Knight fan, always have been and always will be, and I won't condone some of the things he did.

I grew up with the man as our coach but honestly by the mid to late 90s was ready for him to be gone. He pulled a lot of stupid crap.       Edit: Wanted him gone in a responsible way. The administration mishandled it and has proceeded to screw up miserably since.

Did Stan steal your girlfriend? If not, it's unhealthy how much you hate a guy that doesn't directly impact you. For your first sentence, the rumor (seems legit, but definitely a rumor) said that was Troy. On sentence number 2, Troy also had a hand in that. Spread the wealth brochacho. I'll leave the rest of the post to you and #1.

I hope you guys are buying Powerball.  250 million lump sum. 12 million tax deductible gift to the athletic department?

Well, he was an IU football player in the late '80's early 90's.   I know that people who get loud on the internet are usually a little more chill when you're in their face, live.

In one word, misunderstood.

  I have a piggy bank at work, I guess I could put a sign on it.  :)

Why, your going to have to help me out here?

I like the size at point.

  I never felt like it was time for a change, but nobody can deny the lull of the mid-90's.  I think RMK was in the process of getting things back on track though.  I mean he basically assembled the 2002 title game team.    Brand certainly had an agenda.  I don't think it is any coincidence that he ended up heading the NCAA not long after firing Bobby.    That isn't to say RMK was without faults and this or that.  I was never that outraged when he got fired.  It was surreal but the writing was on the wall with Zero Tolerance.   If that Neil Reed video doesn't come out, who knows?  I mean that was obviously the primary catalyst in a change occurring.  That and not winning a championship lately.  I don't think the Reed/CNNSI thing has the same effect if IU was coming off another championship.  :-P

He may have to!

That's funny as hell! He would've destroyed that ladder! Lol

You guys kill me. I think I followed that up with that I was kidding, but Cal clearly meets most of your guys criteria for a good coach. I would bet most of you would bitch for a while and thump your chest about how great a fan of IU you are and how could we sell ourselves to the Devil ... And then Cal would hang number 6 and the tune would change. Some of you guys are so tiresome trying to prove how great a fan you are. Quite frankly, some of you guys cry and whine too much trying to desperately prove you are a true fan. And if you don't bitch and point out every shortcoming of the team you're a homer and don't know shit about basketball. It's old. Life's too short and I just wasted 3 min of my life.. Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners