Some of this information I repeat from previous posts, but on November 1, 2023, the Hoosier Nation bowed their heads in acknowledgement of the passing of Robert Montgomery Knight, the original architect of my “Rule of 60,” that has never been the same since the Fall of 2000 following his ugly dismissal from the University after 29-years.

He went on to coach at Texas Tech from 2001-2008, resigning mid-season of the final year while putting his son Pat in charge. He showed some defensive magic in the first game he coached for the Red Raiders topping William and Mary 75-55. The team went on to finish 23-9 holding their opponent to sixty or less points seven times. Year two it happened nine times with a 2-13, while year three peaked at 11 times to end the season at 23-11. In total, 49 of his 138 victories at Texas Tech held the opposition to 60 or less. 

Bob Knight, the defensive genius, had come to Bloomington from Army to coach basketball just after I arrived as a student, at an age of only 11-years older. I watched many of the specials on his life after his death. The most touching moment was his return to Assembly Hall for the first time in twenty-years to be honored at half time of the Purdue game in 2020. I was watching from a Las Vegas Casino, just before Covid shut everything down. Otherwise, it may never have happened!

I only talked to him twice in my life. The first was a short exchange during the 1998 Maui Classic that my wife and I attended. The last was a lengthy conversation at a private affair in the kitchen of a Texas politician that he supported back in 2012. It was the night that Neil Reed died, and his speech was abruptly interrupted by that urgent phone call. He quickly left the event without an explanation. A friend of mine who played for him remained close after graduation and attended several reunions with him and his teammates. He credits Coach Knight for getting his career started. 

He was a complex study who was adamant with his players about attending classes and ultimately graduating (most did), supported the I.U. library, and numerous other educational causes. He was both tough and personally supportive of those around him. He threw a chair, hit a policeman, supposedly head-butted a player, and had his hands wrapped around Neil Reed’s neck. It was hard to defend these actions, whether true or not. The public perception was that he was a bully with a quick temper, but privately he was much loved. He expected to win, but never crossed that line of inappropriate recruiting or violated NCAA rules, as was too often fashionable at the time. At Indiana, he insisted his base salary not exceed that of other professors. At Texas Tech, he sometimes gave back his salary because he didn’t think he earned it. Coach Knight expected players to exceed expectations on the court and in the classroom.

He was a winner and a brilliant basketball strategist and described by most as larger-than-life, although he did not appear that way at that only Assembly Hall public appearance. He looked fragile, reminiscent of my father in his final days. as he tried to shake his fists to fire up the crowd. His complexion was ruddy and voice a bit hoarse, but it was still a great moment. We all knew that he wouldn’t be with us for long, and now just three years later he’s gone. He reportedly made some Mike Woodson practices, spent time with Gene Keady, and began to show signs of dementia. We were lucky to see him again in Bloomington after the way he was treated during the firing. It should have been handled differently and, if so, it would already be Bob Knight Court with a statue out front that would all have been celebrated with him. Instead, it’s Simon Skjodt Arena, with videos of Knight’s numerous achievements, and the players now wearing a RMK uniform patch. 

Many more Coach Knight tributes will obviously come as time passes, but the last few decades have been miserable for me without his presence. These are honors that I care more about than he probably ever did, giving all the credit to his players while drawing all the attention away from them to allow them focus on winning, as they did a lot! We’ve gone through coaches like sand through the hourglass, have lost our winning edge, and can no longer find our way in even in the BIG Ten Conference, let alone become a factor in the national picture. Hopefully, Coach Mike Woodson, one of his numerous prodigies, can channel his presence and return the Hoosiers to former glory. He’s the future – Rest in Peace Coach Knight.  

At this point in the season, there were seven teams practicing the Magic of Sixty. Ironically, at the top, allowing an average of only 49.7 points in 10 games was former I.U. coach Kelvin Sampson. Virginia was at 53.2 through the first nine, McNeese 56.5 in 11, North Texas 58.4 in 9, UCLA 58.8 in 8, Iowa State 59.2 in 10, and Weber State 60 in nine games. It’s still possible in the modern era of basketball to play Knight-like defense. However, according to sportsrec.com in January 2023, the NCAA DI average for men is 67.875 and women 60.937. 

With defense in mind, it was time to the Hoosiers to regroup with a 7-3 record after the Kansas disappointment, but instead the wheels nearly fell off. If Coach Knight had watched the Morehead State game, something would have been thrown. Coach Woodson, however, appeared to remain calm while I could definitely hear some boos from the Assembly Hall crowd. It was 36-25 at the half in favor of the visiting Eagles, as the Hoosiers came out flat. After I.U. closed the gap to three, but Jordan Lathon was unstoppable. His 4-pt shot put Morehead State over 60 with a 14-point lead at the 8:47 mark and the margin grew to 15 at 9:29 for his 30th point but failed to score from that point on thanks to stellar defensive pressure from Trey Galloway. Miami transfer Anthony Walker had a breakout game with a team-high 18 and hit a layup at 4:11 to finally move the Hoosiers over sixty and once again within 3. It was part of a 17-0 run that led to a 69-68 victory, despite 10 3’s from the Eagles. Lathon had six of those, but his final attempt to score at the buzzer was blocked by Malik Reneau just after he missed 2 clutch free throws and leaving the team’s precarious single point margin vulnerable in the waning seconds.