At Indiana University, he led his team to three national championships, including the last undefeated season in men’s college basketball, in 1976.
At Indiana University, he led his team to three national championships, including the last undefeated season in men’s college basketball, in 1976
He was named the national coach of the year four times and led the U.S. men’s team to an Olympic gold medal in 1984. When he won his 880th game in 2007, he overtookBut victory never seemed to be enough for the mercurial Mr. Knight, who was 83 when he died Nov. 1 at his home in Bloomington, Ind. His family announced the death in aWhen Indiana won the NCAA tournament in 1976, 1981 and 1987, Mr. Knight was hailed as a brilliant coach and a master of motivation.
His team used an unselfish “motion offense,” constantly passing and setting screens to find an open shot. Above all, though, his Hoosiers were known for their relentless man-to-man defense, which frustrated opponents, forced them into mistakes and inevitably wore down their will.. “It’s his character, his machismo, whatever you want to call it, that’s at stake. So if I make a coach concerned enough about my defense stopping his offense, then he’ll forget about my offense.
Then that September, as Mr. Knight walked on campus, a freshman student reportedly shouted, “Hey, what’s up, Knight?” When his 1976 championship team was honored at a 40-year reunion in 2016, Mr. Knight stayed away and said he hoped everyone who had a hand in his firing would die. HePlayers and coaches who had stood by him began to turn against him. Dan Dakich, who spent 16 years playing and coaching under Mr. Knight, called him “a miserable human being.”
Even then, his truculent personality was evident. When his coach substituted for him in a high school game, Mr. Knight refused to leave the court and was suspended from the team. Mr. Knight emphasized conditioning and tough physical drills and said his favorite part of coaching was practice. Mr. Knight later outranked Blaik, at least in the public eye, and became known throughout his career as “the General.”In 1971, Mr. Knight went to Indiana, a state with a rich basketball tradition. In his second season, the Hoosiers won the first of 11 Big Ten titles under Mr. Knight. His 1974-75 team went 31-1, losing by two points to Kentucky in the regional final of the NCAA tournament.
Amid a torrent of profanity, Mr. Knight said of Puerto Ricans, “The only thing they know how to do is grow bananas.”
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