Knight Court's time has come

First appeared on March 4th, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

The time has come. And no, we’re not talking about Subway’s decision to sell foot longs for five dollars (in case you are one of the few yet to have that unshakeable jingle stuck in your head, count yourself amongst the lucky). The time has come rather for Indiana University to recognize the man who, for nearly thirty years, dedicated his life to Indiana Hoosier basketball.
We’d be the first to recognize that former head coach Bobby Knight did not leave Bloomington on good terms. For some his parting was a long time coming while for others it was simply painful to watch. Now a series of unfortunate events have the Indiana University’s men’s basketball program spiraling downward like a band aid ripped and flipped into a flushed toilet. It doesn’t matter which camp you fall in to when it comes to Knight, it’s tough to argue facts. He presided over the most successful era of Indiana Basketball as during his 29 years the Hoosiers never had a losing season. He brought three National titles and 11 Big Ten Championships home to Bloomington. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and a six time Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Beyond all the awards, his recruiting was done in a manner Webster could only define as “squeaky clean”. He held kids accountable in almost every phase of their lives by demanding excellence. On the court Knight drilled home lessons of sacrifice and dedication in the only way he knew. These became lessons many players carried with them into other endeavors.
After Myles Brand relieved the coach of his duties for violating a “Zero Tolerance Policy” in September of 2000, we recognized that reflecting on Knight’s place in the school’s history wasn’t prudent at the time. There were too many hard feelings by all parties involved. When Knight took the job at Texas Tech we also understood that it would be awkward for Indiana to attempt to recognize his service while he was shepherding a different flock.
But now that Knight has left his post at Tech, the time has come. Myles Brand and Clarence Doninger are both gone and the program has reached an all-time low after dodging NCAA sanctions and winning one lone Big Ten game this season (thanks again Kelvin).
Now, as the current Hoosier coach works hard to restore pride in the program, the time feels right to bring Bob back. In short his name belongs on Assembly Hall’s court. Schools naming courts for legendary coaches is nothing new. The Tennessee Volunteers play on Pat Summit court. The Syracuse Orangemen squeeze victories out on Jim Boeheim court and purgatory for opponents of the Duke Blue Devils is Coach K court. For Knight, it surely must feel like a knife in the back to know that even Purdue laces them up on Keady court.
We know for every fan Knight had there were 10 who couldn’t stand him, but that shouldn’t diminish what he accomplished at Indiana. We also understand the man was prone to serious judgment lapses (see accusations of roughing a Puerto Rican police officer up, chair tossed crosscourt against Purdue, kicking his own son and accidentally shooting one of his best friends while hunting). Still one must concede Knight impacted the lives of hundreds of young men in a positive way while inspiring thousands of Hoosier basketball fans at the same time. Memo to new Athletic Director Fred Glass: The best way to restore pride in a program is to embrace its history. The time has come to make Knight Court happen.