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On 3/13/2022 at 1:38 PM, Double Down said:

I love rubbing it in Purdue fans' noses about their lack of tournament success. But, in reality, Gene was a hell of a coach, with some incredible teams. The NCAA tournament indifferent to how well you play in the regular season. I think some coaches are better suited for that environment, where the intensity is ratcheted up and the rim shrinks.

I don't think Gene, not nor his teams, lacked in any of those categories. It's hard for people to admit, but you also have to get a little lucky to make it through the gauntlet of single elimination. 

I always think about Lute Olsen. He was one of the greats, but prior to 1997 championship, he was considered one of those coaches who was unable to win the big one. His '97 team wasn't even close to being his best regular season teams. But a few of those teams ran into some bad matchups. Every year, the media brings up them losing as a 2 seed against 15 seed Santa Clara. At the time, it was a joke that they lost to a bunch of "surfers." Yeah, leading the way on that team was future NBA Hall of Famer, 2x MVP, Steve Nash. 

Anyway, all due respect to Gene. I love seeing that picture of him visiting Coach. Their personal histories are so intertwined. 

Replying because this thread got bumped. But… Absolutely. Those 92 and 93 IU teams might be Knight’s best outside of 75 and 76. And it’s almost a given that 75 was as good as any and maybe better than 76. Yet a couple of injuries and one bad game from the officials kept those 3 teams from the title. Otoh, the ‘81 team peaked at the right time by all accounts.   
 

To truly be great you have to build a bunch of teams and hope one or two sneak through. 

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On 2/24/2023 at 6:16 PM, str8baller said:

Replying because this thread got bumped. But… Absolutely. Those 92 and 93 IU teams might be Knight’s best outside of 75 and 76. And it’s almost a given that 75 was as good as any and maybe better than 76. Yet a couple of injuries and one bad game from the officials kept those 3 teams from the title. Otoh, the ‘81 team peaked at the right time by all accounts.   
 

To truly be great you have to build a bunch of teams and hope one or two sneak through. 

The 81 team didn't have a great overall record, but when it came tourney time, they were dominant.

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17 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

If RMK and his family are suffering, then his passing may be a a humanitarian sadness.

There’s no turning back from the incredible suffering of advanced Alzheimer’s.

Sadly true. That and cancer rarely (never) get better over time. That's, at least, my experience.

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11 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

If RMK and his family are suffering, then his passing may be a a humanitarian sadness.

There’s no turning back from the incredible suffering of advanced Alzheimer’s.

Such a double-edged sword. We lost my dad to Alzheimer's almost 6 years ago. Was painful to have him pass, but was painful to see him living, too. For the most part, he still recognized us, but he was absolutely miserable. 

He was a high school AD for 25-plus years. He scheduled games for all sports, hired officials, made sure the kids could get to road games, made sure all the home games were properly staffed (ticket takers, scorekeepers, etc.) and on and on.

By the end, he couldn't even write a check. Such an awful disease. 

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10 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

If RMK and his family are suffering, then his passing may be a a humanitarian sadness.

There’s no turning back from the incredible suffering of advanced Alzheimer’s.

My dad has Alzheimer's and my father-in-law is fighting cancer. It does get to a point and you just wish for them to have a peaceful passing. Neither of them is living the life they wanted or would choose at this point. Losing independence can be pretty crushing for people who crave that in their lives.

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