AcademyWars.com

Report from the front line Bobby Knight passed away. He made Army Basketball in the late 60's NIT Stallworth another legend

He was the basketball coach my first three years. Nothing better than going to the new Garden (at that time) to watch a pantheon of great army players. When they played LSU in NIT consolation game Pete Maravich sat it out. Knew he was going to have a tough time against the Army D. RIP coach.

Saw Army play Fordham at their gym years ago. Coach K was the Army point guard, and he and Knight kept jabbering at each other in the midst of play. Coach K was coaching even then.

He turned down an NCAA bid in 1968 because he wanted Army to play in the NiT at Madison Square Garden…at that time, the NIT was bigger than the NCAA’s

Monkanfan wrote: ↑Thu Nov 02, 2023 8:26 pm He turned down an NCAA bid in 1968 because he wanted Army to play in the NiT at Madison Square Garden…at that time, the NIT was bigger than the NCAA’s

Uhhhhh.... not really. You would have to go back to before the point shaving scandals of the 1950s in order to make that claim. Many college basketball fans know of the UCLA dynasty that started in 1964 - I doubt if anyone remembers who won the NIT championships in that era.

Also, it's hard flor me to believe that Pete Maravich, who averaged 45 ppg in LSU and ~25 ppg in the NBA would beg off from playing against Army due to their defense. I can believe he was hurt after the Marquette game or simply had no interest in playing in a 3rd place consolation game at the end of his career. I don't believe he ever returned to the campus and was kicked out of school within days later.

May be hard for you to believe but I suggest you check out the NYT back them. The Army team held everyone to barely over 50 a game. Maravich wanted nothing to o with it. Was on camera the next day enjoying NYC. No injury. The SEC then was a terrible BB conference. See Kentucky. He knew he was in trouble. \. Enjoy your own narrative.

Maravich had an ankle injury that was exacerbated by Marquette’s triangle and 2 defense in the previous LSU loss. They basically double teamed him all game and he still scored 20. To say he was afraid of Army is a stretch at best.

Guys,

I just want to you about a fond memory I have of Coach Knight.

I was going to an Army football game in the 2013 or 2014 timeframe- can not remember the exact year. It was Friday before the Army football game so I walking around by the football stadium and decided to go up to watch the basketball team practice. The basketball team was practicing- nobody was there watching so I went down to sit in one of a dozen folding chairs right on the edge of the basketball court. I was there about 10 minutes, when all of a sudden the class of 68 (or 69) basketball team walked in (I guess that is what the dozen or so folding chairs were there for- it was the Class of 68 or 69 reunion football game). I am pretty sure Coach K was in the group (but I digress). So who sits right next to me?- you guessed it-Bobby Knight.

After about 30 seconds, Bobby Knight touches me on my shoulder and says to me- (and these are his exact words)- who the fuck are you? Quickly knowing that I was sitting where I should not be, I said that " I was just a Grad watching basketball practice and nothing more". Bobby Knight then said "Oh- you are someone special and you deserve to sit here". He then graciously talked to me for about 5 minutes- the subjects included his love for West Point and for the cadets he had coached- among many other things. Just as his group was leaving, he looked at me and said " You don't believe that crap about me throwing these folding chairs across the basketball court". I told him I believed it, but believed he had a reason to do it. He smiled, shook my hand and left.

I don't think I will ever forget this (I also can not prove it happened- although I called my wife immediately after this happened)

But it was so Bobby Knight- so real, so personable, so memorable- at least for me (a 74 grad)- I wish I was good enough in basketball to play for him- but how can just 3-5 minutes with a man create a lifetime memory

Thank you, Bobby Knight.