Best IU BBall Coaching Moments/Memories

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

OK Hoosier Nation---looking back over the years--what are your favorite IU BBall coaching moments/memories? It could be a game plan or a set play or something crazy the coach did or said--anything goes!

 

My favorite coaching game plan:

 

I have to go with Bob Knight's game plan against the UNLV Runnin' Rebels in the first game of the Final Four on our way to our last national championship. If you recall, Knight actually chose to run with the Rebels and we played a fast-paced game. The announcers clearly thought we would lose and kept saying we were playing UNLV's game and we could not keep up the pace. We did and beat them at their own game. Alford was awesome that night from 3! 

 

 

Coach's antics:

 

Loved it when Knight would talk about how worried he was when we were playing LSU in the elite 8 until he looked down their bench and noticed they were being coached by Coach Brown--and then he knew we were going to win!  I think he said something similar about Illinois and Coach Lou Henson once too. :lol:

 

 

What you got???? 

[TheWatShot 14,955]

After Louisville won the national championship in 1986, the mayor requested a sign be put up at the state line "so the Hoosiers will know where the best basketball team in the country resides." 

 

 

Knight, one year later: "You can tell the mayor to turn his damn sign around!" 

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Knight was also no fan of NBA basketball....

 

He once said:  " If the NBA was on channel 5 and a bunch of frogs making love were on channel 4, I'd watch the frogs even if they were coming in fuzzy."

 

Too funny!

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

In 1981 Isaiah Thomas and a Purdue player got into it during a game and it sparked a big controversy and Bob Knight invited the Purdue president to his weekly television show to "discuss" the matter. When the Purdue president refused to appear, Knight had a live male donkey (jackass) appear in his place with a Purdue hat on......IU went on to win the title that year!

 

For you tech savvy Hoosiers--there is a youtube clip of that somewhere if someone can find it and add it. Interesting part of the Purdue rivalry from the past.

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Two more great Knight quotes calling out other programs that cheat during his IU days and then in 2009:

 

"If my primary purpose here at Indiana is to go out and win ballgames, I can probably do that as well as anybody can. I would just cheat, get some money from a lot of people around Indianapolis who want to run the operation that way, and just go out and get the best basketball players I can. Then we'd beat everybody!"

 

"We've gotten to a situation where integrity is really lacking and that's why I'm glad I'm not coaching. You see we've got a coach at Kentucky who puts two schools on probation and he's still coaching---I really don't understand that."

 

 

Well said Coach--well said!

[schoosier 3,630]

Best coaching moment...Knight taking a very overmatched Indiana team against Michael Jordan and #1 ranked UNC team and beating them. Knight owned Dean Smith as well as many others come tournament time.

[BGleas 8,328]

I'm going to go in a different direction, definitely could go with a lot of Knight moments, but I'm sure we'll get plenty of those in this thread.

I'll with Crean sweeping OSU, MSU and Michigan on the road in 2013 to win the Big Ten title outright. Definitely a feat worth mentioning!

[OliviaPope40 7,116]

In 1981 Isaiah Thomas and a Purdue player got into it during a game and it sparked a big controversy and Bob Knight invited the Purdue president to his weekly television show to "discuss" the matter. When the Purdue president refused to appear, Knight had a live male donkey (jackass) appear in his place with a Purdue hat on......IU went on to win the title that year!

 

For you tech savvy Hoosiers--there is a youtube clip of that somewhere if someone can find it and add it. Interesting part of the Purdue rivalry from the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdm4Oi1YRZY

Ask and you shall receive.

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Good find OliviaPope40--a relatively young Bob Knight in that video!

[shortspacequickness 1,034]

Knight going out of his way to exit the Assembly Hall court right past Valentine after Recker got killed against Illinois. Classic.

[shortspacequickness 1,034]

As far as Crean, it was pretty funny seeing him give Seth Davis sh!t after the VCU game.

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Both of those are memorable Shortpacequickness!  I was at the game when Knight went after Valentine. The Hall was electric but we were afraid Knight might slug him in a Woody Hayes moment.  Thank God that did not happen!  IU and Valentine just never clicked!

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Like Crean --Knight often held student assemblies and some of his best quotes were:

 

On character/values:   "If I were in charge--I'd drug test all you sons of b****es, not just the athletes!"

 

On hard work:   "Everybody wants to be on a winning team ---but no one wants to come to practice!"

 

On doing it his way:   "When my time on earth is gone, and my activities here are passed, I want they bury me upside down, and  my critics can kiss my a**!"

 

I did not agree with everything he did--but no one was more entertaining!

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

On Crean--have to give him coaching props on the game plan he used to defeat Michigan at Michigan for the outright Big Ten title. We had just lost at home and already had a share of the title and we could have easily folded on the road. Most were predicting we would.

 

Another Crean one--last year versus Wisconsin in The Hall-- we dominated a top team from start to finish that was undefeated at the time I believe---  what a well designed plan that other teams tried to copy afterward!

[LazOffTheBench 3,638]

Thanks for bringing back so many great memories, rebelhoosier. Really enjoyed them.

[OliviaPope40 7,116]

As far as Crean, it was pretty funny seeing him give Seth Davis **** after the VCU game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjaTvh_413k

Again ask and you shall receive. 

[LazOffTheBench 3,638]

Thanks for the videos, Olivia! They are classics.

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

One I had forgotten about as a little before my viewing time---UK Coach Joe B Hall and Knight got into an argument during a timeout of a IU/UK game in 1974 and Knight went over to the UK bench to continue the argument. The ref sent Knight back to his bench and as Knight left he hit or patted roughly (depending on who you believe) Coach Hall on the back of the head. 

 

Hall claimed it humiliated him in front of his fans and Knight said it was done in "affection". Later Knight said "If Joe didn't like it--I offer an apology. If it was meant to be malicious, I would have blasted him into the seats!"

 

And we think we have heated rivalries nowadays?????   :banghead:

[Parakeet Jones 3,877]

About 1994 IU lost their opener to Butler and then had a week off before playing #1 ranked Uk in the RCA Dome.  After the Butler loss no one gave IU a chance.  RMK started Richard Mandeville, Sherron Wilkerson, and maybe one other FR. or seldom used player.  My heart sunk when I saw the lineup.  Obviously he knew what he was doing because we won 94-84.  

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Thanks OliviaPope40---While you're at it do you think you can find Bob Knight's chair throw against Purdue and the press conference where Knight had the bullwhip out pretending to use it on Calbert Cheaney and Pat Graham? Those would help complete our video archive!

 

Again--I am not saying I agree with these antics---but they are part of Hoosier coaching history/legend. We can't debate whether they occurred--but we can debate whether we agree with them.