Last night I saw a few tweets saying that Bob Knight had returned to the Hoosier State to speak on behalf of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Even though I’d rather he return to Indiana University, where he can be properly honored, at least he was within state borders. So I was excited at least by the progress.
What I did not realize until I woke up this morning was what Knight actually said during his speech, which is making the rounds this morning and rightfully so.
What did Bob Knight say? Basically he said exactly what I’ve been saying about John Calipari for years now.
“We’ve gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking and that’s why I’m glad I’m not coaching,” he said. “You see we’ve got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation and he’s still coaching. I really don’t understand that.”
To which I really have only one response:
The crux of Knight’s comments about Calipari is something that has been cited here at MSF more than one: that John Calipari is the only coach in the history of college basketball who has had two Final Fours vacated. The first was at UMASS involving Marcus Camby and the second was at Memphis involving Derrick Rose.
To be fair, Calipari has never been explicitly implicated for wrongdoing in any investigation by the NCAA. And to be realistic, Calipari is a megalomaniacal control freak (like all college head coaches) who most likely knows when his players use the restroom, let alone who is giving them side money or taking their SATs.
Am I speculating here? You betcha. But I am most certainly not the only one. And know that the Ethical Asshole, my beloved Coach Knight, has come out and said the exact same thing…well I feel just a little more confident.
Something tells me that Coach Knight probably privy to information that you and I are not, and I doubt that he would lambaste another high profile coach in public if there wasn’t a little fire to go along with all of the smoke that trails Calipari everywhere he goes.
We’ll see how things go Kentucky. So far, he’s delivered championship-level cheaters at every stop along his college basketball coaching tour. The Wildcats certainly are no stranger to bending (shattering?) the rules, so this may just be a match made in heaven.
It will be entertaining to see Calipari’s smug response. He’s smile his greasy smile, feign respect for Coach Knight and act like he’s almost flattered Coach was thinking about him, and then talk around the issues and say something about being focused on this year’s team. And then it will probably end there.
But we can all hold out hope that Bob Knight comes storming into Calipari’s next press conference like this, ready to kick Calipari’s ass.
Hmm…I guess Coach Knight isn’t the only one of Calipari’s peers who doesn’t like him. Probably just a coincidence.
Well done Coach Knight. Thanks for saying what a lot of the rest of us were thinking.
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* – John Calipari begging photo credit: Scott and Holman
* – Bob Knight coaching photo credit: Indy Sports Nation
* – American Beauty audio file courtesy of RossWalker.co.uk
About Jerod Morris
Ricky Fitz is your personal hero? Oh nevermind, yes i love Bobby Knight too.
I think Ricky Fitz is everyone's personal hero. If not, he should be.
Really? "Well done"? Knight wants attention and this is the only way he can get it. He was obsolete as a coach for the last 15 years of his career and now he retired, entering his second childhood, throwing a tantrum in the corner as people increasingly cease to care. Calipari will win a national championship without any NCAA eyebrows raised and Knight will crap his pants.
Well considering that he hasn't won a National Championship yet (Knight won 3) and raises eye brows every time he gets close (which Knight never did), I have to say that history is not on your site with this comment.
And you are partly correct: Knight did get more "obsolete" as a modern-day college basketball coach the older he got. And many, many people attribute this to his unwillingness to play the recruiting games that other coaches (i.e. Calipari) will play and his unwillingness to compromise on the student part of student-athlete.
But in no way does it make his thoughts about college basketball, especially concerning integrity and how a program is run, obsolete.
And by the way, Calipari was not implicated in either investigation and the Memphis issue is still under appeal. Until that is settled, their Final Four is not vacated.
Fine. All I'm saying is that when there is as smoke about someone as there is about Calipari, there is usually fire. I am certainly alone in thinking that Calipari may not be totally "above the table" in how his programs are run.
Will all you midwest sports fans will be booing Camby and Rose, right? Please, will you be going to Bulls home games and heckling Rose?
he he… great stuff, man.
I too wrote a piece about it and included the youtube link of Chaney going postal.
As you suggest, it took a voice like Knight's to publicly bring this up.
Here's my take on their Christmas cheer if you're so inclined.
http://sportschump.net/2009/12/20/cant-we-all-get…