| | Associated Press
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Bob Knight wants to coach again "in
the worst way." He's just not sure where.
|  | | Bobby Knight told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap, left: "I want to coach in the worst way." |
Knight, fired by Indiana for a pattern of "unacceptable"
behavior, said Tuesday night he was surprised by the school's
decision but that perhaps it was time to move on.
"I thought I'd stay here till I was done coaching," Knight told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap in a sometimes contentious interview broadcast live.
"I haven't retired. I'm an unemployed teacher right now, and
I'm looking for a place to teach. There are too many things that I
have yet to explore about the game of basketball."
Knight said he had thought about leaving Indiana at times, but
his love of the basketball team was too strong. He had wanted the
Hoosiers, who haven't advanced past the second round of the NCAA
tournament since 1994, to become a powerhouse again.
"I kind of hung on to that thought for several years now, four
or five years, and probably should've gone somewhere else," he
said. "And there would be somebody that was a better fit for this
administration and these people than I am. And there's a place for
me where there's a better fit for me as a basketball coach."
In interviews on ESPN and in The Sporting News, the 59-year-old
Hall of Fame coach spoke about his future, and his dismissal Sunday
from a school where he won three national titles in three
tumultuous decades. He also said he might accept an offer to help
Isiah Thomas, a former Hoosiers star now coaching the Indiana
Pacers.
Knight repeated that he did nothing wrong when he grabbed
freshman Kent Harvey by the arm last week to give him a lecture
about manners after the student said, "Hey, what's up, Knight?"
The coach also disputed some of the other reasons university
president Myles Brand cited in firing him.
Brand said Knight violated a zero-tolerance policy that had been
in place since May. But Knight said he was never told exactly what
"zero-tolerance" meant and denied Brand had any substantive
reason to fire him.
Knight said another episode cited by Brand, verbal abuse of a
university lawyer, occurred during a meeting about the $30,000 fine
levied against him by Brand in May. But Knight said he never used
profanity and didn't raise his voice.
After the ESPN interview, university officials said they stood
by Brand's earlier statements.
"I certainly think he did have a chance. In fact, his job was
saved by this administration in May and they gave him another
chance, a new lease on life," school trustee Stephen Backer said.
"It appears, from his own interview, that he was angry and
resentful, and instead of taking advantage of the opportunity, he
failed to do so."
University vice president Christopher Simpson added, "I see
nothing productive at this juncture to get into a he-said,
she-said."
In The Sporting News interview, the coach said he was most sorry
to be leaving Bloomington because of all the golf, hunting and fishing in the area.
"We're going to move," Knight told the weekly newspaper,
referring to his wife, Karen. "And that'll be difficult. I've been
here since 1971 and I really like the area. I can play golf, I can
catch 50 bluegill in an hour, I can go turkey hunting. The place
has fit my lifestyle.
"Now that's all wiped out, and I feel worse about that than not
having the coaching job."
On ESPN, he often chastised interviewer Jeremy Schaap for what
he considered interruptions as he answered questions. At one point
he told Schaap, son of veteran sportswriter and broadcaster Dick
Schaap: "You got a long way to go to be as good as your dad, you
better keep that in mind."
Knight, replaced Tuesday by Indiana assistant Mike Davis, said getting another coaching job is a priority, but he's not sure what would be the best situation.
"People have called me. That's all I want to do. I want to
coach in the worst way," Knight told ESPN at a resort south of
Bloomington. "I'm not right for every administration and every
administration's not right for me."
In July, he was contacted by Delaware about recommendations for
its head coaching job. Later, Knight said, he thought that he
perhaps should have asked about the job for himself. (The school
hired David Henderson, who had been a Duke assistant).
"Delaware really appealed to me," he told The Sporting News.
Knight, nicknamed The General, was famous for his temper and
old-school discipline. No matter where he ends up, he said he won't
change his ways.
"I've always felt I've got to be me. I can't be something that someone's trying to construct," he said.
As for the Pacers' job, Knight would be reunited with Thomas,
who led the 1981 Hoosiers to a national title. Thomas has invited
Knight to join him as an assistant coach, and Knight said he might
on a limited basis.
"I told him, 'All you have to do is ask. I don't know what kind
of commitment I want to make, but if you want me to come to
practice, evaluate players, do some scouting, just ask,"' Knight
told The Sporting News.
Knight, who addressed a campus protest after he was fired, plans
to meet with students Wednesday at Dunn Meadow, which is near the
Student Union. The forum is sponsored by the school newspaper, the
Indiana Daily Student.
"There was a time when I would never have dreamed that I'd
coach anywhere but Indiana University, but things have changed,"
Knight told The Sporting News. "The leadership of this university
has changed. My inability to get along with the athletic director -- all that. I began to think, 'I've been here a long time."'
| |
ALSO SEE
IU to pay Knight $1.3 million compensation
Knight on Knight: Excerpts from interview with ESPN
Interview with Knight went about how Schaap expected
Hoosiers name Davis interim coach
Knight's accuser might leave IU after receiving threats
Ousted General: Knight fired for unacceptable behavior
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Bob Knight sits down for an exclusive interview with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap.
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 Bob Knight tells ESPN's Jeremy Schaap that he is not done coaching.
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Bob Knight is proud of what he accomplished at Indiana.
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Indianapolis Star columnist Bill Benner says Bob Knight's dismissal was a long time coming.
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Board of Trustees member Stephen Backer says zero tolerance is common sense.
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Bob Knight says none of the university officials could define zero tolerance.
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VP of pulic affairs Christopher Simpson says the university's guidelines were clear to Bob Knight.
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