However, let’s also say that he stands for things that are not so admirable. HIs temper, his ego, his people skills are really low. And he really stands for things that are not admirable: his ego, his poor people skills…

So, he becomes a polarizing character.

I would suggest he take a slice of humble pie, use a bit of self deprecating humor. He’d be more effective, maybe wouldn’t have been FIRED from Indiana, maybe not have so many detractors.

In 1976 I was bored finishing my first year of law school at IU ( I went to Cal undergrad but wanted a different region of the country for law). I decided to challenge a state law that said one had to own land to hold office. I ran for county council and they wouldn’t put me on the ballot. I got an injunction and got on. Bobby Knight made some public comments favorable to my campaign and privately said “this guy has a lot of balls” I especially appreciate that because I was a liberal democrat and Knight was the opposite.

I didn’t like Knights temper -ego- and now he could become defensive when challenged. ON the other hand he was always doing something for someone in need.

Many people have both good and bad sides. I really appreciated his concern for academics, he got good kids and made them study. I think in all the years there only one kid got arrested= for being in a car where there was a joint- big deal.

I’m happy to hear him do the play by play and announce Cal’s victory tonight. Knight has always liked Cal but that may be because of his friendship with Newell.

Indiana was playing at the Garden, about 20 years ago, and a friend was helping the operations of the tournament. It was his duty to inform the Indiana team that there were only so many minutes left in the halftime break. Indiana was losing and as my friend went to the locker room to say “5 minutes”, Bobby made an example of him. You see, Bobby was ripping his team good with profanities and such, yelling and screaming at them, extolling them to play better. Along comes this 20 year old, 6’6″ 250 pound kid with the dutiful time notification…

“Don’t you ever f’ing interrupt my locker room!”, Bobby marched across the room and screamed in his face. A paw to the chest, and vicious slam of the door in his face, out he went. Now, my friend’s size meant that he didn’t get intimidated easily. But, this, he said, was like a huge fire breathing dragon. Bobby Knight, he pointed out, is his own mountain of a man.

So, just add that to all the Bobby Knight criticism you hear in the media. If I ever heard one nice thing about the guy, I would listen.

But I don’t think I will. Instead, I expect the only thing I’ll hear is that he has basketball insights. I need more than that to respect a person.