The Morning Dish – Friday, December 26th
Knight apologizes: Bob Knight formally apologized for remarks he made during a taped interview earlier this week. Knight, the head coach of Texas Tech, went off on a profanity-laced tirade in response to a question asked by ESPN reporter Fran Fraschilla. Fraschilla inquired about Knight’s relationship with former player and Iowa head coach, Steve Alford, and Knight reacted with a string of curse words. The interview was shown on Monday during the Red Raiders 65-59 win over Iowa, and the next day, coach Knight used his weekly television show to announce his apology for expressing those remarks. Alford played under Knight in the 1980’s, helping Indiana win a championship in ’87. Since Alford became the head man at Iowa, he and Knight have had an estranged relationship, at best, and that was the basis for Fraschilla’s initial question that launched Knight into his tirade.
Gain One: Iowa State announced that former Marquette freshman forward James Matthews has decided to enroll for the second semester, and will be eligible for play after fall semester, 2004. Matthews, who left the Golden Eagle program last week for undisclosed reasons, had not yet played this season due to being suspended for academic deficiencies. Matthews was also academically ineligible for the majority of his senior year at Detroit’s Denby High School.
Lose One: Iowa State guard Tim Barnes is officially done in Ames as the senior was declared ineligible for the entire 2003-04 season, thus exhausting his five-year eligibility as a Cyclone. Barnes, who was declared ineligible for this past semester in August, was to be eligible for his first game on Saturday, but his grades weren’t up to snuff. Barnes, who was arrested on drunken driving and marijuana charges with three teammates earlier this year, had not played a game this season. Barnes, along with forward Jackson Vroman, were vocal against the ouster of former head coach Larry Eustachy during the alcohol scandal in May. Barnes had averaged 11.3 points and five assists per game last season.
No Intention: Former St. John’s head coach Mike Jarvis, fired a week ago, has announced that he has broken off talks with ESPN regarding being an analyst for television coverage. Jarvis, who stated that he fully intended to be coaching next season, was reluctant to sign a deal, and negotiations were leaning towards a multi-year announcing contract. In a statement, Jarvis said, “They were looking for more of a long-term commitment from me, which was very flattering … It was great to talk to them. It was even better to hear they wanted me long-term.”
Volunteer OK: Tennessee got some relief when it was announced that junior guard Scooter McFadgon would not be missing much more time for the Vols. McFadgon, Tennessee’s leading scorer with 17.8 points per game, dinged his shoulder in practice, and was unable to play in Monday’s 79-61 win over Tennessee Tech. However, x-rays indicated that there was no structural damage, and that McFadgon’s injury was limited to an inflamed tendon in the left shoulder. He should be able to start practicing again on Saturday, and will likely start in Tuesday’s game against UNC-Asheville, shoulder permitting.
Tonight’s Menu:
• No games are scheduled, for the third day in a row. We’ll be watching taped games from last season’s NCAA tournament, just to get through the drought. CSTV is showing Retrovision of Michigan – Michigan State from 1993 – a Fab Five tilt against the Big Ten champs. Enjoy!
