While Knight is revered in Indiana and throughout college basketball for his accomplishments on the hardwood, his darker legacy is often forgotten. Assembly Hall fell silent as the video board flickered during halftime.
The screen showed a lone red chair sitting in an empty gym. Knight walked across the gym, sat down and stared into the camera. The biggest game of the year was an afterthought. The screen faded to an empty tunnel inside the bowels of Assembly Hall. Then he appeared, slowly shuffling with the help of former players Steve Green and Quinn Buckner toward the roar of 17, fans ready to welcome him home. The 47 former players in attendance, who were being honored for the 40th anniversary of the Big Ten Championship team, stepped aside as Knight made his way to center court.
The celebration may have been honoring the former Hoosiers, but they knew who this was really about — Knight. Knight waved to the crowd. After a few moments, former IU standout Isiah Thomas nodded to his fellow alumni as they walked over to join their coach. Laysha Bailey Layne.
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Taylor Rochelle YouTube Star. Darryl Brinkley Baseball Player. Born in Massillon, Ohio and raised in nearby Orrville down from the Smuckers plant, Knight was never much for occasions as a grownup. There are too many other things for me to worry about. The interviewer said something about society often recognizing milestones like this. Why not simply take care and go?
How the hell do we know? There was a time back in early February where a lot of us thought that was going to be the greatest year ever. We saw Bob Knight back in Assembly Hall, surrounded by dozens of his favorite players, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Bob Knight was back after a year absence since his firing from Indiana. Tears flowed that day because the love for Bob Knight among the Indiana fan base is unlike anything I've ever seen.
Even 20 years later, you can't write a story about the current Indiana basketball team or its coaches and not have fans weigh in "how Bobby would have done it. Legend barely defines him. It's beyond that. So far beyond that. And just having him living back in Bloomington now sort of gives everyone that warm feeling, that he's back where he belongs, back among his friends, back among his people.
He's still ours, in one way or another. He's 80 years old today, and that's a wonderful thing. He's got some health issues, and he's not the intimidating personality that he used to be. He introduced his wife twice to the audience. He also mistakenly identified a former IU basketball player as dying, and told a story about Michael Jordan , then repeated the same story substituting a former IU player for Jordan.
Later in Knight and his wife purchased a home in Bloomington, indicating the long-time coach had buried the hatchet and was ready to settle at the place where he made his legendary name. In February , Knight made an emotional return to an Indiana basketball game where he was honored. It was his first time in Assembly Hall since his dismissal by the school two decades earlier. More than 50 former players attended the game, including Isiah Thomas, who, along with several other players, cried when Knight made his way on to the court.
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