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| | Tuesday, May 16 Hoosiers want same Knight on court | |||||
| Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS -- For Indiana's players, all that mattered was that they didn't lose their coach. Hoosier players welcomed Monday's announcement that Bob Knight had saved his job by accepting a fine, a suspension and agreeing to watch his temper. "Coach is going to have to make a change, and he's going to have to do things different," said Jarrod Odle, a reserve. "But, overall we've still got our coach and we've still got our team and I think we can work through it." Odle, Tom Geyer and Dane Fife -- three loyal, vocal supporters of Knight during the uncertainty that enveloped Indiana's basketball program for nearly two months -- attended the news conference where university president Myles Brand announced the coach's punishment. "If he had been fired it would have been devastating to the program. You never know how many guys would have left, what would have happened, who they would have brought in. Now that's all behind us and we can go forward," Odle said. Geyer, who has been used sparingly the past two years, said he was relieved. "We'd rather he not have that three-game suspension, but we have to respect what the board of trustees and the president have handed down and deal with it," Geyer said. Knight's behavior on the floor doesn't need to change at all, Geyer said. "We want him to continue to push us and demand the most out of us. As far as how he acts off the court, I genuinely think he can change and become the better person that they want him to be," he said. Knight, who has produced three NCAA championships, 24 NCAA appearances and 11 Big Ten titles in 29 seasons with the Hoosiers, is the reason most of the players came to Indiana. "I had a lot of offers to go to other schools and play but I turned them down to come here and sit on the bench and learn from what coach Knight has to say," Geyer said. "From him I get an education, not only about basketball, but about life in general." Fife, a starter in 22 of 27 games this past season, said player support for Knight likely contributed to his opportunity to continue coaching the Hoosiers. "We wanted to show him, as well as the university, how much we care about him. We appreciate what President Brand and the trustees have done. We felt it was a proper decision. Good steps were taken," Fife said. Fife said Knight will have to make some adjustments. "He can't be the same. I'm really not quite sure what he needs to do. But he's got to be careful with reporters and when he's on the court he can't be kicking chairs or smacking the press table," he said. Fife said he had been thrown out of two practices, with a motion to hit the showers, but learned from Knight's actions. "I eventually came back to (those) practices, and he let me back in," Fife said. "I'm not looking for him to change as a coach at all. He is the way he is, and he's been successful because of it." Freshman recruit Jared Jeffries, the Indiana high school Mr. Basketball and Gatorade national player of the year, also praised the decision. "I'm very glad it worked out this way. Coach and I have always gotten along and our relationship will develop. I think I would've really had to think about where I wanted to be if Coach Knight had left," Jeffries said. "Everybody loves a winner. I think the team will unify. We really came together during this." | ALSO SEE Knight to remain as Indiana's coach AUDIO/VIDEO   Jarrad Odle is just happy Bob Knight is still the coach.wav: 70 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Dane Fife says Bob Knight will adhere to his new guidelines.wav: 85 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Alan Henderson is happy Bob Knight is still coaching.wav: 140 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6  | |||||