Pat Knight Was Not His Father and Coaching Candidates at Texas Tech
by Seth C on Mar 8, 2011 6:13 AM CST
in Texas Tech Basketball
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PrintPAT WAS NOT HIS FATHER
There are a lot of things that you can say about Pat Knight. It has become abundantly clear that just about everyone says that PK was a terrific guy and he's one of the good guys in college basketball. I've said it again and again. Pat Knight has never cheated. He did not succumb to the AAU game and hire AAU coaches in order to sign players. Pat Knight, as far as I know, graduated players and he also kept his word in regards to keeping a player's scholarship until the player graduates. He is a good guy.
Kansas St. coach Frank Martin on PK:
"He'll survive," Martin said. "Pat is one of the good guys in this business. He does his job the right way, and it's ... we all understand what we get into when we sign up for this job. When good guys get let go, it's something I don't enjoy seeing."
Missouri coach Mike Anderson on PK:
"Obviously, he followed a legend, when you talk about Bob Knight, and that’s kind of hard to do," MU Coach Mike Anderson said. "But at the same time, Pat was himself, and that’s one thing I applaud Pat about. He was true to who he was."
And even after PK was fired, he was gracious and offered an interview with KLBK, KCBD and Fox34. And DT's Jon Arnold writes that it was Pat Knight that sought out Texas Tech President, Guy Bailey, for clarification on where he and his staff stood going into the Big 12 Tournament:
It’s pretty obvious Tech won’t be in the Big Dance so out the door Knight goes. He’s been expecting this for a while, as have the majority of Tech fans.
The timing of the coach’s firing, though, raised more than a few eyebrows.
The story goes that Knight wanted to meet with president Guy Bailey on Monday, before the conference tournament, so he would know where he and his staff stood.
Good on both parties for stepping up and making their positions clear. Knight wanted to see if his guys would have jobs and Bailey, instead of stalling and trying to find a better time, fired Knight.
Arnold is right. Bailey could have hemmed and hawed about where things stood, but he was honest with PK and let it be known that PK's services would no longer be needed after the season. There's something good about how this went down and that gives me some comfort in all of this. PK handled this with whole situation with a good amount of class in what could have been a difficult situation. He obviously doesn't have to coach the team in the Big 12 Tournament and he could leave this team high and dry, but that's not Pat. He may not be the most polished speaker, but he's not going to leave you high and dry. He probably felt like he owed it to the players to finish this thing out.
Per LAJ's Courtney Linehan, PK wasn't available for yesterday's Big 12 coaches press conference (because he was meeting with Bailey) and assistant coach Chris Beard said that the staff would finish this out:
"Even though it’s been made public that we won’t be the coaches next year we’re still the coaches this year," Beard said. "I know Pat will do everything in his power to have the team prepared, I know we’ll try to keep things as normal as we can under the circumstances."
Hell, he even did his own radio show last night, per DMN's Mike Graham:
"It really is the final edition," Knight chimed in, chuckling.
Knight was then asked to describe the emotions he was experiencing and Knight set a graceful precedent for the rest of the show.
"There's a lot of highs and lows," Knight said on the show. "(Mostly) it's a relief. You know that it's hanging out there and you've got a chance to be let go so you finally find out and get it out there in the open. It's really a relief for myself and my staff. It's out there and you don't have to mess around with the media writing articles.
"It's just bad when your wife has to read that stuff and your assistants kids, your players have to read that. Now it's out there and everyone can relax and we can just kind of enjoy this last go around in the Big 12 Tournament."
The only thing that bothers me about this is that the current AD Gerald Myers didn't do what he should have done. AAS's Kirk Bohls tweeted, "Pat Knight's firing was TT prez Guy Bailey's call. Outgoing AD Gerald Myers, who hired Bob Knight, tried to save Pat.". I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but when Kirby Hocutt was hired, Gerald Myers was not in attendance at the Hocutt press conference. For whatever reason, maybe Pat knew that Myers wasn't going to be honest with him, which is why he sought out Bailey. I'm not sure what to think about this, other than it's is the strangest part about Pat's termination was that Myers isn't really anywhere to be found.
One other strange note. SportsByBrooks writes that Pat contacted UT-Arlington about their head coaching position despite the fact that they have a head coach. This is a strange note and it's not necessarily confirmed on the record, so just take it with a grain of salt. I'll let you chew on that.
If you want to read more, see LAJ's Courtney Linehan, DT's Tommy Magelssen, and a timeline from the LAJ.
COACHING CANDIDATES
The LAJ has an extensive list of coaching candidates. The list begins and ends with former Kentucky and Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie. Just about every outlet, including ESPN's Andy Katz and ESPN's Eamonn Brennan, write that Gillispie is the candidate where this coaching search starts. FWST's Mike Jones writes that if it's not going to be Gillispie, then Texas Tech must hire a head coach with Texas ties and I think that this is absolutely true:
I’ve been told that there are some financially heavy Tech people who are going to lobby on Gillispie’s behalf. Multi-million-dollar-type heavy. The question is whether or not they have the clout they think they do.
Snip.
Here’s another name to consider. Try Nebraska coach Doc Sadler on for size. He can coach. He can recruit. He does more with less. He was the behind-the-scenes ace on the James Dickey staff at Tech who found guys like Tony Battie, Corey Carr, Darvin Hamm, et. al.
So, Gillispie is in the lead and it appears that a lot of people are throwing out Sadler's name as well. With that caveat, there are a lot of names to consider in the LAJ list: Gillispie, Sadler, Marquette head coach Buzz Williams, Wichita St. head coach Gregg Marshall, Kansas assistant Joe Dooley, Marquette assistant Tony Benford, former Texas and Houston head coach Tom Penders, Utah Valley's Dick Hunsaker, Akron head coach Keith Dambrot, South Plains College head coach Steve Green and Midwestern St. head coach Grant McCasland. I would also ask that no one mention Butler's Brad Stevens. Stevens is a terrific coach, but he's not leaving Butler to coach at Texas Tech. This is a pipe dream and I think I'd also throw Buzz Williams into that category as well. I think the Butler and Marquette jobs are better basketball jobs than Texas Tech.
I'll let the lot of you figure out who these people are and if any of those names, other than Gillispie excite you.
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Added a poll after initially publishing the post. Interesting to see where folks sit on the new candidate.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
A poll with this many choices
I would have expected Bubba Jennings name to appear on a list this long.
It would be nice to see the people with past ties to TTU considered – Doc Sadler, Tony Benford, Bubba Jennings. Maybe one of them would even get an interview.
Besides Gillespie I don’t know what “name” would come to Tech with the current sate of the BB program. Also, don’t many programs wait to see which coach(es) impress in the NCAA tourney?
Running out of time this morning, so I just took the list from the LAJ. And this is a serious question, but why should Jennings be a candidate? What do you think are his qualifications for the job and what makes you think he’ll succeed whereas PK failed and was on PK’s staff? To clarify, I think Jennings is a terrific person and was a helluva player for TTU, but he seems to be really unproven.
Go Raiders . . .
Double-T Nation
Jennings & Benford have comparable resumes
Maybe it was only from Gerald, but I have seen Bubba’s name mentioned as a possible candidate in years past. I think these two assistants have similar coaching experience as assistants. BJ spent a few years coaching high schools which could be viewed as inferior to TB, but Bubba did win two NM state championships at that level. Jennings played a pretty big part in Tech’s recruiting and has the ties to TX recruiting. I know that Tony has recruited some big names to the programs where he was an assistant (at Nebraska & ASU). I don’t think either would make a better or worse candidate – I just think that if one deserves to be considered the other should be too.
Gregg Marshall
I would give him a look. I really like what he did at Winthrop, and he has taken Wichita State from 11-20 in 2007-08, improved their record every year, and now has them 24-8.
Gillespie is nothing but trouble. We’ll win, but either he will get in trouble, or Tech will get in trouble, or he’ll leave the minute Tech reaches 21 wins. He’s a bit of a lowlife…he texted the Aggie players – while on his way to his presser in Ky – that he was leaving them. Solid. He also sued Ky (settled) over his firing…
Besides, he’s only made the sweet 16 once in his career. Not sure why people are clammoring for this dude. Mostly first round eliminations and NIT appearances. Of course, if that’s our goal, then fine. I don’t have a better suggestion, but I don’t get the infatuation with BCG.
I, for one, do not have a problem with a coach suing their former boss
and do not believe it should be a hinderance in getting hired at another university.
Well-behaved women seldom make history. - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
I'm with Austin
"Do you see how this works? We're sellin' you a paddle boat at Buffalo Lake and telling you it's a cruise! Lick it up little kitties!"
by raider realist on Mar 8, 2011 5:36 PM CST up reply actions
I don't either
… but I do have a problem with a grown man who keeps driving drunk. It doesn’t set a very good example. I’m not really out and out against BCG as head coach, because I think he’s a good coach, but he does seem to have some serious character issues that I’m concerned about.
by ABQ Red Raider on Mar 8, 2011 6:16 PM CST up reply actions
Well Tech has only been to the Sweet 16 twice so I like our odds with someone who has been there half as much as our mens program.
by ST04 on Mar 8, 2011 9:24 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Because he's a turnaround guru
He might not be the guy to bring home a national championship, but he is clearly the guy to quickly build a competitive program. I believe he is one of the cleaner coaches and I don’t think he has a history of NCAA issues. I’m not delusional — I don’t expect annual Final Four appearances and to be considered in the same breath as Duke, UNC, Kentucky, etc. However, I would like to be in a position where I am not envious of the Gonzagas of the college basketball world.
by CRV on Mar 8, 2011 1:14 PM CST up reply actions
You have
said numerous times that you don’t enjoy or care about basketall. So you not geting the infatuation is like me not appreciating a good ballet.
Watching his teams at UTEP and ATM was so enjoyable because the product was both entertaining and effective. What happened at UK is worth looking at, but I think that this is a proven a commodity as you will find.
You have no idea what may have led to him having to text his ATM players instead of eye to eye, perhaps he was hoping to keep it quiet and it broke and it was the only way for him to deliver the news first. Anyway, there are enough people that I trust that don’t consider him a lowlife and I do enjoy basketball and his brand of play.
If we reach 21 wins and he leaves, then go hire the 2nd guy on this list and we will be light years ahead of where we are.
"Trust your gut....mine always finds good Mexican food"
-Me
by oldschoolraider on Mar 8, 2011 1:45 PM CST up reply actions
I don’t follow it (watch it), I don’t enjoy it…I do read about it – quite a bit – to stay in the loop. Not being a fan or game consumer of the sport doesn’t disqualify me from having an opinion.
It doesn't
disqualify you from having an opinion….but it does explain why you don’t understand the fascination/infatuation. That was my point
"Trust your gut....mine always finds good Mexican food"
-Me
by oldschoolraider on Mar 8, 2011 4:10 PM CST up reply actions
Thoughts
Candidates
I like BCG and Sadler.
Does Sadler feel the Big 10 would be a better situation than the shell of the former Big 12? I think that will be a concern for him.
Will Sadler or anyone else of note be willing to accept a lower salary than PK?
NO WAY to Penders. Please!!
Myers
Myers’ absence in all of this speaks volumes.
Things to watch regarding PK’s firing
PK has already acknowledged that he has received at least one offer for a coaching position from his agent – on the same day he was given notice. Really? He’s that hot of a commodity?
Dickie V tweeted that Texas Tech is one of three hardest basketball jobs in the country along with Northwestern and University of Southern Florida.
3 of the Toughest jobs in hoops due to what they deal with r USF- Northwestern-Texas Tech where Pat Knight was let go ! Tough to WIN!
Jay Bilas does not think that an NCAA basketball coach should be ousted in just 3 years. From his Twitter Feed:
Not a fan of firing a coach after only three seasons. I have known Pat Knight a long time. He is a darn good basketball coach.
Really? A good basketball coach? Based on his Big 12 record?
Don’t think the Knight apologists are out in full force?
Sorry, but I’m not sold on the “Pat’s a great guy” storyline.
"This time it's different."
Agree No More Penders,
That is just Dickie V sticking up for his old man. Really, the Tech basketball facilities have been some of the best for the past ten years. Go see what Kansas State plays in. Its an old hanger. Watch college basketball and look at some of the arenas that are on national TV, they are dumps. I don’t buy it. Get a good coach who can find kids who do less with more, and we can win. Don Haskins only won 800 games at UTEP, not to mention he is the only coach in Texas to ever win a National Chamionship.
"I feel sorry for the guys," Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville said. "They fought hard tonight. We didn't look good on offense or defense at times, and at times we looked pretty good. It's just, I don't know. Weird game.
I've been to K-State's arena
Bramledge as I recall and it’s not a hangar, quite modern with a bowl concept. K-State is a beautiful campus to boot, all buildings adorned with white stone. Their fans were very gracious to us and they are alot like us. I don’t see why we have to be like aggies and bag on other people. JMO
Give 'Em Hell Tech!!!!!
by Plano Jeff on Mar 8, 2011 12:56 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I went there a long time ago and was quite surprised at the KSU campus
But then again, there aren’t many college campuses that aren’t pretty cool. They all have an air about them.
That "air" can be most precisely defined as "coeds"
Who doesn’t look fondly back on their college years? Except BYU grads who honored their honor code.
What is "Good-Strong" and why is there always so much more of it after a jump?
Damn, I can't believe that it has been that long since I visited Kansas State;
Last time I went to a basketball game there they played in a what they called a field house, but it was an air hanger. I stand corrected, their new facility is ver nice. I agree, the people their are good folks.
All college campuses have coeds, which make them all fun. I was just making the point that we have good basketball facilities, and they should not be a reason why Pat Knight could not recruit better atheltes.
"I feel sorry for the guys," Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville said. "They fought hard tonight. We didn't look good on offense or defense at times, and at times we looked pretty good. It's just, I don't know. Weird game.
I saw Penders a few months ago at a local basketball game.
He and I are about the same age…he looked old…I mean old.
Living large in Texas...Texas forever.
+1 the game has passed Penders by. He lost out on a lot of local Houston talent while at UH by being lazy and not wanting to recruit. The same thing that kinda screwed Pat Knight bc his dad didn’t recruit very well to me. The success he had was mainly with Dickeys players.
To Dickey V and JB. Stick to commentary. The guy only had one winning season and never had a winning conference record.
by ST04 on Mar 8, 2011 9:17 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
+1 ... I agree No Penders
.
A Second +1 …. Where in the world is Myers?? This speaks volumes on how he no longer is allowed in the Bell Tower.
.
NUTS - Never Underestimate TEAM Strength
Ok
Pat’s dismal record at Texas Tech is merely a reflection of his shortcomings as a coach. I watch the games. The defense is atrocious. The rebounding is atrocious. The offense is inconsistent.
Let’s contrast those observations with Bob Knight’s teams who also had somewhat limited talent, but when you watched those games you saw near flawless offensive execution, a tough nosed defense, and although we were outrebounded on several occassions, our inside guys played with genuine passion.
Offensive execution is a reflection of preparation and teaching. In other words, coaching.
Defensive execution is a reflection of passion, pride and strategy. In other words, coaching.
Strong rebounding is a reflection of strength, determination and effort – characteristics which are encouraged by and reflected in the coach.
When those three things aren’t working, a team’s record reflects those failures.
Pat Knight’s recruiting has been poor. We have not recruited a single player over 6’8’’ in three years. If you turn on your television, even mediocre programs have one or two big guys who can compete and influence the outcome of games. Pat’s most significant interior recruit was a player who averaged less than 4 points a game at the JUCO level.
Pat Knight’s teams failed to excite the fan base and generate attendance. There are few entertainment options to compete against in Lubbock. The crowds will come so long as the the teams are competitive.
Pat Knight alienated the fan base. He criticized students and alumni for not attending games.
Pat Knight actions reflect an entitled mindset. Pat Knight believes that by playing and working for his Dad (when few programs demonstrated similar interest), that he took the hard way out – compared to what, I have no idea.
What are the odds that Pat Knight would have played at Indiana but not for the fact that his Dad was the coach?
What are the odds that Pat Knight would have gotten a job as a scout for the Phoenix Suns but not for the fact that his Dad was Bob Knight?
What are the odds that Pat Knight would have become an assistant at a major Division I University but not for the fact that his Dad was the coach?
What are the odds that Pat Knight, based on the thinnest of resumes, would have been named head coach designate, but not for the fact that his Dad was the coach?
Unsurprisingly, when it came time for the rubber to hit the road, Pat failed to perform.
PK wants what all entitled people want: he wants to be recognized for his success in spite of the facts on the ground. Where things did not go well, he blames those shortcomings on others: players, fans, Texas Tech, Lubbock.
I hope PK saved his money. He received $3-4 million dollars over the past 3 or so years as a head coach, and I hope Texas Tech’s debt to the Knight family, whatever that may have been, has been sufficiently paid.
PK points to his players’ graduation rate as evidence of his success. I will agree with him on that point , although I have not seen the graduation statistics for his players.
PK points to the fact that he didn’t cheat. Of course this argument presumes that the only way to recruit good players is to cheat, a premise I do not accept. Duke gets good players. Does Coach K cheat?
PK wants to coach at a “basketball school” where it is easy to recruit the best talent, he wins with ease, the fans turn up every night (even when a team is struggling), the players respect him and the fans respect him.
Doesn’t eveyone.
Thank you, but I’ve looked well beyond the stats. Watching a proud program sink to such depths in just 3.5 years time has been terrible to watch. I was a Tech basketball fan from the time I was 5 years old. The only time we’ve been this bad was in the twilight of Myers’ coaching tenure. It’s well past time to turn the page.
"This time it's different."
Sounds like the Winklevii Twins in The Social Network
What is "Good-Strong" and why is there always so much more of it after a jump?
Wow, you spent 1/3 of your response posing rhetorical questions with no answer and then have the audacity to pose a hypothesis and treat it as if it were fact. Are you a member of Congress, too?
And I was just calling you out on an open attack on a man’s character based on his win-loss record. Which you repeated despite multiple accounts from people who actually know the man and to the contrary of his display of class since his firing.
Excellent response.
Actually, it is an excellent response.
Where was the attack on his character?
"Do you see how this works? We're sellin' you a paddle boat at Buffalo Lake and telling you it's a cruise! Lick it up little kitties!"
by raider realist on Mar 9, 2011 11:07 PM CST up reply actions
If you don't like my response, fair enough
Perhaps you can explain on what grounds that you believe PK is an excellent/good/ or even mediocre basketball coach?
If not his record and the underlying coaching/recruiting issues which lead to those records, please, enlighten me. I’ll gladly throw out the last 3.5 years of evidence on the court to the contrary. I’ll gladly ignore that current state of the program. I’ll gladly ignore the “class” exhibited while taking public shots at Lubbock and Texas Tech over the past two years.
My mind is open.
"This time it's different."
by LondonRaider on Mar 10, 2011 1:51 AM CST up reply actions
1) I have never stated that I thought Pat Knight was an excellent coach. I have myself criticized specific decisions he has made with regards to the line-up and use of his players. The only thing I said was that I would be OK with letting him finish his contract, as I believe the quality of recruits that he has brought in/is bringing in is a step up from what his father brought (not inherited), and I would like to see what he could do with his guys.
2) Attendance. Lest you remember RMK with too rose colored glasses, he also criticized tech fans for poor attendance
3) As I pointed out a few days ago the performance of the men’s baskeball team began to slide under RMK, the first year he was playing with guys he recruited, not James Dickey’s recruits.
So perhaps what PK is guilty of is not reversing a trend started by his father in less than 3 years. I could agree with that.
Tech92 that is why Billy G is such a good fit for us;
It never gets mentioned but he also turned the UTEP basketball team around. I think he is one of those gusy who was on the fast track, had some success, and then took a giant step without building a foundation and he went crashing down. Not to mention he was an alcoholic. I think this is our guy. More importantly, he can help Leach figure out how to sue the state.
"I feel sorry for the guys," Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville said. "They fought hard tonight. We didn't look good on offense or defense at times, and at times we looked pretty good. It's just, I don't know. Weird game.
He also took a dismal Aggie team and got them on track to being one of the better teams on the big 12. You can give some credit to Turgeon (sp?) but BCG got them on track.
by ST04 on Mar 8, 2011 9:28 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
And we all know
the most important thing about hiring a new basketball coach is to make sure he can help keep Leach relevant!
Leach needs no help staying relevant
just needs help figuring out how to get around that darn sovereign immunity.
Well-behaved women seldom make history. - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Don't know much about Billy G
but the similarities to Leach’s situation are interesting, and I suspect the results will be similar. Based on this website, my only point of reference, the majority of Tech fans prefer a formerly successful but controversial coach — similar to how Maryland fans wanted Leach. The relatively new Maryland AD made what probably seemed to him to be a safer choice. I think Tech’s new AD already tipped his hand as to how he will handle this situation. He didn’t even interview Leach while Miami’s AD.
BTW, I’ll always believe that Leach was shafted by the Tech administration.
No no no no no no.
We’re finally getting rid of Doc Sadler. Missouri fans do NOT want to have to deal with him anymore. VETO.
This initial list is disappointing......
The only candidates that I like on the list are Gillispie & Dooley, although I still am not getting the feeling either one is the best candidate.
by DanSwany on Mar 8, 2011 9:24 AM CST via mobile reply actions
I Think
Jennings should be on the list because he is homegrown. I may not vote for him but he should be on the list. I still like Danny Kaspar at Stepehn F Austin and Johnny Jones from North Texas. Penders, should retire, like I wish I could.
ut is "The Evil Empire"
Does it bother anyone else
That Gillispie left aTm with not so much a kiss my a$$, got fired from Kentucky and if I remember correctly was arrested for DUI more than once? I don’t like the fit at all.
+1
Great article. I’m a Flower Mound native so I can appreciate a coach who helps the kids at the JH and HS levels. This guy seems like he’s turned his life around and is ready to make a winner of someone.
"You've got to find your inner pirate" - Mike Leach
"We started too late" - Neal Brown
Already know about it
Gillispie grew up not far from me in Graford. You know how word travels in a small town. I didn’t say he doesn’t deserve a second chance or say he isn’t trying to turn his life around. I commend him for that. I don’t even like college basketball, just wondering if it bothered anyone else that he has had these “issues”.
We played Graford every year in non-district
We were VERY good, ranked, and had 6’5" and 6’4" Posts, and me a 6’2" Wing/Forward, we were 2A and they were 1A with not even 6 man football. They were very hard to beat because they ran their plays to perfection, literally perfect and I don’t think they had a guy over 5’10". That’s the kind of roundball BCG was taught and he can take his’n and beat your’n and take your’n and beat his’n.
Give 'Em Hell Tech!!!!!
I'm all for second chances
I recognize you didn’t say you weren’t. Just saying I think it’s pretty hard to find someone with experience in most walks of life today that don’t have some baggage – especially in high stress arenas like NCAA coaching jobs.
I agree that you have to closely consider what that baggage is and if they have made real efforts to do better.
Well-behaved women seldom make history. - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Big believer in second chances as well
but I also know his transformation has come since he has been out of the high stress job of NCAA coaching. Just curious how he will handle being back in that stress.
Get your Buzz on
Yesterday someone on DTN brought up Buzz Williams and included links to the Marquette BBall page. I didn’t know the guy. I went and looked, and was impressed. Buzz Williams has been a big success at M. with Tony Benford as his top assistant. Check their roster—they have about 4 kids from Texas. Yes, Marquette is big-time basketball—no football to interfere [except the GB Packers], but if he can recruit Texas kids to a frigid, Jesuit, Milwaukee, WI inner-city U, and make them glad they came, what could he do in Lubbock? Conservatively speaking if we could get Buzz Williams and Tony Benford, and retain Bubba Jennings, we could be solid in Lubbock.
RE: Gillespie—the LAJ synopsis of his record/troubles, noting how similar they were to Leach v. TTU make me think that, potential aside, the TTU Admin will not go down that road again, even if the new AD is willing. Too many red flags. He’s not viable.
RE: Sadler—the ONLY reason he’d leave NU for Tech would be if he did not want to compete in the Big 10 but remain in the Big 12, otherwise he’d be foolish to leave the Huskers.
Ex-UTEP Coaches
I grew up in El Paso and returned after 6 years at Tech getting a BBA and JD. Had season tickets for all of the Haskins, Gillespie and Sadler years, and now for Tim Floyd. I played HS ball for an ex-Haskins’ player and can’t watch teams that won’t or can’t play man defense correctly. All of the teams for the above coaches played hard all the time. All of those coaches made me think they could play with theirs and beat you or play with yours and beat you.
Sadler actually coaches the most like Haskins, with defense being the absolute focus. Gillespie is a better recruiter and has a much better understanding of offensive basketball. I’ve read recently that Sadler is becoming a big overseas recruiter, but I suspect Gillespie will always have the edge on just about anybody in the game in Texas. His relationships with Texas HS and JC coaches is long and deep. I don’t see Sadler leaving Nebraska for Tech if Nebraska wants to keep him, but I may be wrong.
I wasn’t thrilled with Bobby Knight being hired at Tech because of his baggage and because I couldn’t understand why his own players never belted him after he put his hands on them. But I’ll admit, I started following Tech Bball after Knight was hired. Tech fans will sell out the arena for a winner. They will not support a loser. That’s pretty much how it is everywhere.
Gillespie has a history. So does anyone who’s been around the block. I think he has also taken steps to get a grip on himself and address his drinking issues. Haskins had them too. Gillespie is the perfect coach for Texas Tech or any other major Texas college. He should have never left A&M. I suspect he knows that at this stage of his life. Gillespie will win and win the right way whereever he is hired. He recruits correctly (remember, he was Bill Self’s recruiter at Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas before going to UTEP). His schools have never had a problem with the NCAAs. His players have graduated. BCG’s only problem has been that he has wanted to move up the food chain. That’s sort of were Tech is at this point isn’t it? I’d fully support Tech hiring Billy Gillespie and hope they don’t talk themselves out of hiring the right guy for the job.
What will happen to the recruits?
I know they signed their letter of intent a couple of months ago, but will they be able to opt out because of the coaching change?
I know most school already have their scholarship spots filled, but if the new coach comes in and tells a player he will never be used in his scheme, does he just tell him, “sorry, you are SOL.”
Is the player able to do anything?
The players
are not allowed to change their commitments on the basis that players commit to schools and not coaches.
On the other hand, the new coach would be able to unilaterally terminate a recruit’s’ LOI. Schools are not committed to incoming players in the same way.
However, if a new coach is in a scenario whereby an incoming recruit does not want to play for him, why would the new coach force the player to come aboard?
"This time it's different."
by LondonRaider on Mar 8, 2011 12:35 PM CST up reply actions
The key recruits have already indicated they intend to fulfill their commitments.
by CRV on Mar 8, 2011 1:21 PM CST up reply actions
I vote Gillespie
I can’t make the chart vote or display results, but add 1 mas to BCG. Penders? What a joke IMO. Like it or not, it takes a special personality to recruit to Tech, not Lubbock, Tech. Anybody can get 3 stars to Boulder, Lubbock, Ames, but you win 5 man BB with “Talent.”
Give 'Em Hell Tech!!!!!
by Plano Jeff on Mar 8, 2011 12:46 PM CST via mobile reply actions
This is my first thoughts about the whole deal.
It is not my way to call for a coach’s job….I did simply stop being interested—even a little bit—in men’s basketball at TTU. My interest went to zero…no hope, no prospects for improvement…no life in the program and no sense of something / anything good happening.
I was excited when Bob Knight was hired…and soon lost that excitment with some of his early behaviors ( I honestly do not care a whit who might have been at fault ). Then I saw no real progress in the program….some wins yes, but progress as a program? none…
I was doubly saddened by the announcement that a son of a head coach was being named heir apparent…good grief !!!
Gave it an effort to show support and enthusiasm simply because he was new and different…alas….still no improvment even after he recruited the current senior team, who really did look promising their freshman season…they have not shown to be competitive in Big12 BB….
Now I am, again, on the fence with myself…I dispise what has happened with TTU and the Knight family as bb program leaders and that all their influence and acclaim has not produce substance….yet I wonder why with all the speculation and names being named that Steve Alford over at UNM has not been listed as a party for discussion.
If he is but a spark of what Coach K is at Duke, he could be very interesting for our program.
On a different note, I cannot imagine a better scenario for TTU to have acted in this matter….outgoing AD is part of closing this chapter and opening the next as is his newly named heir, both men are involved and have vested interest. I like the look of it, it smacks of quality.
Living large in Texas...Texas forever.
Late
I am late getting onto this thread. I really can’t do anything much at work except a word or two.
I have a feling from reading here that we all appreciate the person, Pat Knight. However, he has not grown as he probably should have as a coach, considering his history. As said above, there was zero growth in the Tech basketball program, even under Knight the Elder. He won enough, but did little to build a real product that would flourish upon his retirement. Pat Knight just got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have a feeling the players were never fully committed to him as a coach. Sure, they had been around him and he was an assistant for several years before becoming the head coach. But, I don;t feel the players thought of him as THE head coach as much as simply “Pat”, not “Coach Knight.” That was a hard thing for him to overcome and I really feel he just could not get the level of respect he should have had, though it was really no fault of his or his dad. It was the situation.
I feel also that Pat Knight will break out as a good college coach if he can “get away” from the situation….far away. By starting anew with players who have never met him, he has a chance to make the kind of connection from the start that he could never attain at Tech. I hope he succedes and does well. He really deserves that much.
The replacement coach must be someone the players should immediately identify with and have respect for or there will still be no growth in the program. Hopefully, Hocutt already has a decent list of potential coaches and will be able to make a solid, intelligent and quick decision, before other schools can join in the hunt. First come, first serve, kinda. I like what Gillispie has done to turn around his life. It should also bode well for him as a coach, if he can stick to his new regimen. With someone of his abilities in charge, many good things can be accomplished. He surely won’t be concerned about facilities as they are first rate at Tech. If his relationship with high school coaches is still good, he may bring in the kind of talent to help Tech become a relevant basketball team again. That is exactly what we all want and what Tech needs at this time.
TTpilk
"Never, never, never give up." Winston Churchill
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