Villanova Once Again Not Helping Our SOS; also, Bobby Knight

Submitted by B-Nut-GoBlue on December 11th, 2018 at 9:22 PM

Villanova about to go down to Penn.  Not the pedos, the Ivy leaguers.  They actually just had a last shot to tie it with 1 second left...but a tough shot missed.  So down the go again (although Furman looks tough).

 

To add a conversation piece on a slow sports night (more of a legal and litigious night!)....ESPN just aired the Bobby Knight 30 for 30.  What a y'alls opinion on ehat happened back in 2000 and his removal/firing from Indiana and thoughts on his legacy.  I grew up with him as IU coach and know/remember what went down but....what say you?!

B-Nut-GoBlue

December 11th, 2018 at 9:24 PM ^

Sorry for spelling/grammar errors...phone/thumbs suck.

For anyone wanting to listen to hilarious lunacy, tune into ESPN2 for the Colorado-New Mexico game and Bill Walton announcing!

B-Nut-GoBlue

December 11th, 2018 at 9:55 PM ^

Guessing you're in the minority.  He was a great coach but in this day and age he wouldn't cut it.  Young men now days would not tolerate that shit and rightfully so.  He was a bully and an asshole and as good a mind as he was at basketball it shouldn't trump his being a bad person towards those he coached/damn near helped raise (the amount of time those guys spent with him in late-teenage and early-20s, some formative years for growing men).

NittanyFan

December 11th, 2018 at 11:16 PM ^

I think all coaches of that generation had more "bully characteristics" versus coaches in this generation.  It was more culturally acceptable then.  Shoot, even Schembechler was accused of being a bully a few times (there was some GQ article on this in the 90s).

So - while Knight most definitely was a bully - I'll cut Knight a bit of slack on that one.

But where Knight doesn't deserve slack is in terms of him being an asshole.  There's a difference between "bully" and "asshole."  "Asshole" has never been culturally acceptable.

And as you said, he was an asshole. 

Some of the stuff he would do to publicly embarrass folk (IU President Thomas Ehrlich, to name one) was just ridiculous.  He did things that were truly worthy of him getting punched square in the jaw.  But nobody challenged him, he continued to think he was bulletproof, so he persisted onward.  Finally one day Myles Brand did grow some balls and fired him.

I'mTheStig

December 12th, 2018 at 1:11 AM ^

So - while Knight most definitely was a bully - I'll cut Knight a bit of slack on that one.

Yeah, interesting that a fan of the school with a multiple decade-long history of child abuse, enabling a predator coach, and another coach covering it all up, is inclined to cut someone slack.

Username checks out.

NittanyFan

December 12th, 2018 at 4:47 AM ^

Wait.  You're quoting me and calling my argument "total BS" but not even quoting me correctly. 

I said "I think all coaches of that generation had more bully characteristics versus coaches in this generation."  

I tend to like message board disagreement.  Debate is fun.  But you took my quote and deleted a non-insignificant word in the middle of the quote.  I'm sorry, I don't think that was an accident on your part.  I think you knew what you were doing there and I think that was a non-intellectually honest conversational tactic on your part.

True Blue Grit

December 12th, 2018 at 8:49 AM ^

I would agree with what you said in general.  With bullying, like anything, there are varying degrees of it - some worse than others.  Knight was a bad kind of bully for sure.  I would agree too that Coach Schembechler did things back in the day that you would not see coaches doing today.  One thing he'd do is kick players off the team in front of everyone as some sort of motivational tool.  He may have had some goal of making them a better person in the process.  But the public humiliation is something that was harmful I believe and that you don't see coaches doing anymore.  

1VaBlue1

December 11th, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^

Woody had some anger issues, but that punch was a very regrettable moment in an otherwise stellar career.  He didn't make a habit of hitting players, even if he was tough in practice.  He also didn't make a habit of abusing women - something Knight did regularly.

Even as an 80 year old man, he was busted grabbing women asses.  He spoke a few years back at NGA Headquarters just south of DC.  Turns out he used to babysit the Director of the NGA (Robert Cardillo), and they're still good friends.  While at NGA, in a very professional surrounding, he smacked a few asses.  And the women were not happy!  He did answer for it, and Cardillo wrote a personal message to the entire NGA workforce (and contractors) to explain why he was invited, and that he was sorry for what happened.

Yessir

December 11th, 2018 at 11:56 PM ^

Friends son was with a couple other kids and came across(met) Coach Krychevsky.  He looks fairly mild mannered, but the son came away thinking he was a huge jerk.  Ahole.  Whatever. I expect a lot of coaches are. 

Not sure Bobby Knight was the worst, but he sure has the bullseye on him as the worst. 

M-Dog

December 12th, 2018 at 1:17 AM ^

Bo as a mentor and builder of men

I worked with a guy who played for Bo when he was at Miami of Ohio.  He said the Bo would grab players' face masks and kick them.  He said that Bo was the meanest SOB he ever met.

It was a different era.  Bo was not a saint while Knight and Hayes were monsters.  They were all cut from the same cloth.

 

Rabbit21

December 12th, 2018 at 11:56 AM ^

Grabbing face masks and shaking them back and forth while tobacco spittle was sprayed liberally in your face while kicking in the shins was still very much a thing in the 90’s.  I don’t have fond memories of those coaches, but can confirm it was common practice not that long ago.

jtmc33

December 11th, 2018 at 9:29 PM ^

Penn loss is not good.  But... they are 9-2 with a win over Miami (YTM) and losses to ranked K-State and also Oregon State.  

Hopefully they win through the Ivy and the loss isn’t a weight.  

Michigan4Life

December 11th, 2018 at 11:58 PM ^

Don't have a lot of talent? Nova has the 9th best recruiting class which includes a 5* talent in Jahvon Quinerly, 2 top 60 players in Cole Swider and Brandon Slater plus a transfer in Joe Cremo.

They return Eric Paschall, Phil Booth, Collin Gilliespie.

They're good but not as great as they were in the last few years. It's going to take some time for Nova to gel but they have Jay Wright so they'll eventually going to figure it out.

freejs

December 12th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^

You're listing guys like Joe Cremo. I've watched a bunch of Villanova games this year. There's a reason Paschall is being asked to do so much. There's a lack of legit options and a marked lack of overall athleticism. They'll be good down the road, for sure, but this year, I just don't see them having the players to have a great year. It's hard to see guys like Swider being major factors this year. 

Dorothy_ Mantooth

December 11th, 2018 at 9:40 PM ^

I met Bobby Knight at b-ball camp years ago (in his prime), he is and has always been world class d-bag... probably has some good qualities, but mostly, just your garden variety insecure bully