Knight elaborated on how he looked forward to coaching his team in 2000-01, and he highlighted many of the endearing qualities of his new players.

The tone of the talk was mostly positive, until Knight wondered aloud to Newell about what he considered to be the vague, confusing and perplexing "zero tolerance" code of conduct Indiana University placed on him on May 15.

That was an ominous topic of conversation. Earlier Thursday, Knight allegedly grabbed the arm of an IU freshman and cursed him, after the student addressed him only by his last name.

An Indiana fan turns over an IU flag in response to the schools decision to fire Bob Knight.(AP)

Sunday, Knight clearly discovered the meaning of "zero tolerance" when university officials sacked him for his Thursday indiscretions at Assembly Hall. Newell, one of the few men who has ever been a mentor to Knight, was sullen.

"I'm truly disappointed in the university," Newell said. "It isn't right and it isn't fair. I mean, you know, it's almost ridiculous. I guess that's what the media wanted. They wanted their pound of flesh, and they're getting it, I guess.

"Nobody could withstand that type of scrutiny. The average person doesn't have to. It isn't even treatment. I know he's done some things that have caused reactions, but he's still not treated fairly."

Newell found out about Knight's dismissal Sunday morning at his San Diego home. Newell said he would not give any other extensive or exclusive interviews about the man he admires so much, and he planned to call Knight on Sunday night or Monday morning.

"There's not much you can say to him in times like this," Newell said, "because he's so deeply angered in these situations."

Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said a national consensus of his colleagues over the last four months determined that it would be difficult for anyone to live under such a "zero tolerance" guideline.

"It's tough not knowing all the details," Gottfried said. "Who knows what actually happens between a president and a coach. But for it to end like this for one of the game's best coaches ... nobody wants to see that. Things like that happen, I guess. That's how it goes.

"I'm sure everybody in the game feels the same way."

Former Michigan and Arizona State coach Bill Frieder was a friend of Knight's until the two exchanged heated words on the sideline of a Hoosiers-Wolverines game.

"If I'm on zero tolerance, I don't put my hands on anybody," Frieder said. "I was very concerned when they said they would have zero tolerance, because I knew he would be subjected to a lot of media scrutiny and hecklers during the season. (But) I never thought anything would happen before the season.

Look for either Indiana assistant coach Mike Davis, who nearly got the top job at Tulane after Perry Clark left for Miami, or Utah coach Rick Majerus to get strong feelers from IU president Myles Brand and the IU hierarchy.

Majerus annually gets courted by many teams, in the collegiate and professional ranks, but he has not been discreet about coveting the Indiana post, where the legacy, Big Ten and proximity to his mother in Milwaukee are all attractive. Majerus did not return calls placed to his Salt Lake City residence.

Both Newell and fellow Hall of Fame coach John Wooden mentioned how Knight's career and behavior parallels that of the late Woody Hayes, whose Ohio State squad was a perennial power and who demanded academic excellence from his players.

An uncontrollable temper, however, did in Hayes when he slugged an opposing player in a bowl game. Knight wasn't even able to keep a lid of his fury for four months after Brand slapped the "zero tolerance" collar -- along with a three-game suspension and a $30,000 fine -- on him.

That followed the public disclosure of Knight lunging his right hand at the throat of former player Neil Reed in the spring.

"The tape of that practice shed a whole new light on the program," Frieder said. "Had it not been for that tape, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Wooden said the latest, and last, incident involving Knight at Indiana shouldn't surprise many.

"From what I've heard and what I've read of this incident, I think most people would have just walked away or wouldn't have fallen for anything," Wooden said. "But with Bobby trying to teach the youngster manners, the youngster might have come back at him. They put him on a real tight rein, and I didn't know whether he would do it or not."

Knight did it Thursday morning to Kent Harvey, stepson of outspoken Knight critic Mark Shaw, and IU was left with no recourse. In his coaching career at Army and IU, Knight won 763 games. He was in line to overtake Dean Smith, who owns a record 879 career victories, with six consecutive successful seasons.

Newell expects Knight to surface again in the coaching ranks.

"I'll bet you he re-emerges as a college coach," Newell said. "I'll tell you this -- there isn't a Big Ten program out there that wouldn't hire him, he has so much respect among basketball people. He won't cheat, and kids will graduate.

"He won't just sit on the sideline and toot his whistle, like so many coaches do today. He's a hands-on coach."

Which is precisely what got Knight fired. Knight wasn't that unclear of the "zero tolerance" guidelines placed on him, either. According to Newell, Knight informed IU that he wouldn't teach his physical education class this academic year to avoid any run-ins with students.

"He said he couldn't afford to put himself into a situation where there could be any type of confrontation. He didn't want to be exposed to things like this thing right here," Newell said. "Yeah, it's a tough deal. I couldn't imagine a better friend than Bobby, so it hurts to see all the good that he's done swept under the rug."

Newell said Knight should band together a team of lawyers to sue Harvey and/or Shaw for defamation, or something.

"They will have a lot of explaining to do," Newell said. "For a kid to go up to a professor or a coach and address him by his last name? Hell, if my kid did that I'd have given him a bump on the head, I'll tell you that right now. I think I'm like most parents. I'd want someone to do to my kid what Bobby did to that kid.

"I bet that kid will transfer by the end of his first semester. There will be plenty of people who will have zero tolerance for him. He won't be a hero on that campus, I'll tell you that. Hey, it's a nine-inning game."

Wooden has long professed respect for Knight, Wooden has just disagreed with some of Knight's motivational methods.

"However, I might not agree with Gen. Patton's, but I sure would have wanted Gen. Patton on my side in a war," Wooden said. "Bobby has been a tremendous teacher in basketball, but it's been hard for him to change his personality. He's admitted that. But it's still too bad."

SportsLine.com senior writer Steve Schoenfeld contributed to this report.