Dear Gary: Jayhawk jawing and ruminating on a dark Knight
Updated Feb. 8
Remember how I promised to explain why I left Kansas at No. 2?
Well, I forgot to do it.
(Sorry)
I've had a cold for three weeks and haven't really been myself.
I can't stop coughing.
And it has apparently affected my memory.
But you'll be glad to know I've addressed the issue in the latest Dear Gary.
From: John
In your blog on Feb. 3 you wrote: "The new Top 25 (and one) is in. I did not drop Kansas despite a loss. I'll explain why in the Poll Attacks on Monday." You wrote your Poll Attacks on Feb. 4 but still didn't explain. What gives?
Like I said, I forgot I wrote that. And then I was reminded ... over and over again.
From: Lebowski
You didn't drop Kansas in your poll despite the loss to Kansas State and I was looking forward to reading why in your weekly Poll Attacks -- which, by the way, you said you were going to do! Sorry to call you out, buddy. I've still got a man-crush on you, though.
OK. Let me explain why I didn't drop Kansas (better late than never!). I was obviously going to have Memphis No. 1 because I've had Memphis No. 1 since June and Memphis hasn't lost since last March. That's easy. So No. 2 was gonna come from the batch of one-loss teams not named Drake -- meaning No. 2 was gonna be either Duke, North Carolina or Kansas. They all have good wins at home and on the road. So I decided to go with whichever team had the best loss, if that makes sense.
North Carolina's loss came at home to Maryland. That's easily the worst of the three teams' losses. Thus, UNC was slotted fourth and I was left trying to decide between Duke's neutral court loss to Pitt and Kansas' road loss at Kansas State. And I decided a road loss in a hostile environment in which the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft (Michael Beasley) went nuts was the better of the two good losses, and that's how I ended up with Kansas ranked second, Duke ranked third and North Carolina ranked fourth.
Happy now?
Lets move on!
From: Joshua
I'm a little surprised you have Syracuse in your Projecting the Field and even more surprised the Orange aren't one of the last four teams in. Not that I mind, but March wouldn't be the same without Syracuse playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Actually, March would be EXACTLY the same without Syracuse playing in the NCAA Tournament. You remember last March, don't you?
From: Mark
You are on crack if you think Florida will be a No. 11 seed. They will be a No. 4 at worst.
Do you realize Joakim Noah and Al Horford no longer play for the Gators?
From: Steve
I agree that Billy Donovan should have an SEC Coach of the Year award by now. But most times the man who has turned a team around or who is an underdog wins that award. Jim Tressel is the same way -- seven years at Ohio State, three national championship games (won one of them), four Big Ten championships and zero Big Ten Coach of the Year awards. What a joke in both cases.
I actually think Tressel deserves an SEC Coach of the Year award. I mean, who's done more for the SEC lately than that guy?
From: Matt
Your story on Robert Dozier being accused of assaulting a woman just perpetuates the stereotype of this Memphis team being thugs to a national audience.
That stereotype might be perpetuated, but don't ask me to take the blame. I didn't hit anybody when I was leaving a club at 3:30 in the morning.
From: Joan
Does anything good come from being out at 3:30 in the morning?
I hear people (including John Calipari) say all the time how nothing good can come from being out at 3:30 in the morning, but I couldn't disagree more. Lots of good things can come from being out at 3:30 in the morning, or at least that's what my experiences have taught me. I LOVE being out at 3:30 in the morning (long as I can sleep in the next day). Some of my best memories (my best blurry memories, at least) have come at 3:30 in the morning, and somehow I've never had a problem with the police or any females filing restraining orders against me ... though that's probably because I haven't hit anybody on the way home.
From: Mark
How do I get an e-mail to Shaq letting him know that I have a machine that can help his hip?
Send it to Phoenix, I guess.
From: Wichita
Hey Gary. I thought I would ask you about something that has really been bothering me because you are the greatest college basketball analyst of all time ...
Just wanted to interrupt for a second to let the rest of you know that's pretty much the perfect way to start every e-mail. OK, back to Wichita ...
From: Wichita
I also wanted to get your opinion because Jay Bilas won't answer me.
What!?!
From: Wichita
Why is it that in the selection process so much weight seems to be placed on conference strength? I always here things like "Well, the ACC is the No. 1 RPI conference so it deserves at least seven bids." To me, if the ACC is the best conference by the RPI, but after the top three teams no one is deserving, it should only get three teams in the NCAA Tournament despite the conference's strength.
I think that's a reasonable way to think. And I'll tell Jay to get back to you, ASAP, just as soon as I get through these Bob Knight e-mails.
From: Jimmy
Coach Knight earned the right to leave when and how he wanted. You had no right to judge the way he left with your column.
I get paid to judge the way he left with my column.
From: Jim
So Gary, what are Coach Knight's flaws?
Seriously?
From: Mike
Coach Knight did it his way. More power to him. We all wish we could do things on our own terms.
I do things on my own terms, too. It's just that my own terms don't involve treating most people with little to no respect.
From: Anonymous
What is a shame, Gary, is that there are two types of sports journalists. The first kind is a journalist who covers sports. The second kind is a failed athlete who wishes everyday they had half the talent of the people they cover. Sadly, you are obviously a failed athlete.
Not sure why I have to keep going over this, but I was hardly a failed athlete. Ever heard of indoor soccer? Well, I was one of the best indoor soccer players ever. I mean, I could kick it off the wall and make it come back to me, and you really should've seen it. If you had, you wouldn't be calling me a failed athlete. Honestly, I was freaking unbelievable at indoor soccer. I've got home movies of games. I should post them sometime.
From: Jack
You're one of the IDIOTS Coach Knight hated -- someone who knows nothing about sports at all. Read what Digger Phelps, John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski and other sports authorities had to say about him!
Did you just call Digger a sports authority?
From: Rouser
You would not be able to carry Bob Knight's jockstrap, smartass!
Why would I want to carry Bob Knight's jockstrap?
From: Patrick
You are an unbelievable jackass. Coach Knight went out without fanfare or media attention. It only goes to show how ignorant the media continues to be. Let's bash a guy that has done nothing but good for the sport and school athletics.
Nothing but good? Spoken like a man who has never been to a salad bar with Coach Knight.
From: Sam
How many games have you won as a coach?
Eleven, actually. Six as a 4-year-old soccer coach and five as a 4-year-old T-Ball coach. The soccer team got off to a great start, then collapsed like it was Miami or something. It was devastating. But I have won 11 games total. And yes, I graduated all my players ... or at least advanced them from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten. And I've never committed a recruiting violation, though there's this red-headed kid who scored like 17 goals against us and if you are the parent of him just know that I'm willing to pay to get him to transfer to Sacred Heart Elementary in time for next season.
From: Larry
I do not like you.
I do not like you either. I like Doug.
From: Doug
I just read one of your columns for the first time. I really enjoyed your writing style. To me, it wasn't the content of the article, it was more of how it was presented. I don't know the first thing about college basketball in the United States, so that part wasn't important to me. You found a humorous, yet point blank way of expressing your opinion maintaining your political correctness. Well done because it is rare to see good writing in sports journalism.
Did I tell you how much I like Doug?
From: Scott
Your narrow-minded assessment of a man who has been coaching for 42 years is the very reason you're one step above prostitution.
I'm one OR two steps above prostitution. Right, Brett?
From: Brett
There is truth to what Coach Knight said some years back, that your profession is only one or two steps above prostitution. Heaven forbid if anybody speaks the truth. You guys don't want to hear the truth nor do you guys ever report the truth. I am sorry he didn't go out on YOUR terms. I wasn't aware that somebody needed to run his retirement plans by you or any media source for that matter. Do a little research and you will be able to find the true Bobby Knight.
Instead of researching I'll just pass along some e-mails from what I like to call my intelligent readers. Perhaps then we can find the true Bobby Knight, like you suggested.
From: C.D.
A decade ago Bobby Knight was doing a book signing at a local bookstore here in Louisville. It was owned by my best friend. Knight always said that Mike Silliman -- a Louisvillian then just recently deceased; a star for Knight on his NIT team -- was his favorite player. Hearing that Knight was coming, Silliman's still grieving family asked my friend if he had a private place in his store where they could chat with Knight for a few moments before the signing. My friend said "Of course." But when Knight arrived he told my friend he wasn't meeting with anybody privately no matter who they were. "Tell them to get in line like everybody else," he said. Good riddance, Bobby.
There's one story. Here's another that might explain that story.
From: J Woods
I met Bob Knight in person because he knows and fishes with my former father-in-law. I found him to be a very knowledgeable basketball man ... and a person whose company I would avoid. That was the one and only day I can remember on the Blue River in Southern Indiana that I wished I was somewhere else. I respect him as a basketball coach because of his accomplishments, but his ego is not something I really ever thought fit the Hoosier penchant of modest. I also know that the attitude that the others do not see is that which he parks when he is amongst those he considers his equals. The ego is saved for those whom he assumes are unable or unwilling to match his perceived intelligence or abilities. As I told him at the end of that day when he was talking and quietly deriding me to the others there, it is those with small minds that dismiss others out of hand. Those of greater minds find in others a reflection of their own actions.
Anyway, I could go on for hours like this. But what's the point? The bottom line on Bob Knight is that he was a great coach, brilliant individual, fascinating character and total jerk to far too many people for me to ever respect the man on a human level. And yes, I know he doesn't care what I think or what anybody else thinks. That's fine. But even though he won a lot of games and graduated a lot of players it cannot be disputed he failed miserably in the department of consistently treating strangers with basic decency, and that's too bad because it's not hard to be nice to people, to respect people, to not talk down to people and ridicule them. So you can remember him for the 902 wins if you want. That's fine, too. But I'll forever believe it's possible to win games AND treat strangers with the common courtesy 99 percent of the people in this world possess, and it's just a shame Bob Knight was so good in one area yet so bad in the other.
