A Knight's tale

By Sean Pullins Sports Central Columnist

Robert Montgomery Knight, "The General," recently won his 800th career basketball game. This is quite an accomplishment since only two other men have reached the milestone before him.

Knight needs just 77 more wins to become the all-time leader in victories. He has turned a mediocre Texas Tech program into a legitimate contender in the Big 12. Still, with all his accolades and accomplishments, he is perceived to many as a bully who has no respect for his players or the game of basketball.

Many know of his bad behavior and tyrant-like ways when it comes to his basketball teams, but people often forget what he brings to a community and what he brings to each player he coaches. Bobby coached from 1971 to 2000 at Indiana University. In that time, his team only finished below .500 twice. He was named National Coach of the Year four times and won national championships in 1976, 1981 and 1987.

During his legacy at Indiana, he coached numerous teams and personalities, the whole time he kept his goals and his philosophies. People often criticize Knight's behavior on-and-off the court with his players and the media, but in his 29-year stint, he was only suspended three times. Most of Knight's former players have nothing but positive things to say about their former coach. He helps his players through their four years of school, but the astonishing thing is he really follows his players through the rest of their lives.

When Indiana's former president, Myles Brand, dismissed Knight, the university burned the president in effigy. When Knight was fired from Indiana, the entire state took a step back because Indiana lost more than a coach, they lost an identity. Bobby Knight optimizes the Midwestern attitudes of hard-work and family life.

Now he has taken over command of the Red Raiders from Texas Tech. Texas Tech accepted Knight with open arms upon his hiring. In his first year, he took the mediocre Raiders to the NCAA tournament. They subsequently lost in the first round, but their followers were excited just to get back to a respectable level of competitiveness.

Knight has had a disappointing season this year. So far, the Raiders are 16-8 and 6-7 in the Big 12. They would need to have a good run to make the tournament this year. While they are struggling, Knight is still sticking to his morals and policies. The leading scorer in the conference, Andre Emmett, missed a team meeting, so Knight benched him. Knowing the team would have less of a chance of winning, he stuck to his principals.

Bobby Knight has a lot of critics and negativity following him. But when it comes down to it, would you want The General to lead you into battle? I know I would!

Article courtesy of Sports Central.