NIT Has Special Meaning for Knight
by Ray Floriani
WEST POINT, N.Y. – One of the highlights of a relatively quiet fall bears recounting. The late Friday afternoon in September is quiet. Across the Hudson a train passes to pierce the silence. Nature has yet to begin her majestic display of colors on the leaves. On this historic campus of the US Military Academy about the only sound is that of cadets finishing their daily run. The group finishes close to Eisenhower Hall, towels off and picks up their textbooks, which tells you what you need to know about this storied institution. Soon visitors make their way into the hall to celebrate the academy’s annual Hall of Fame induction. The calendar says late summer but autumn is a heartbeat away on this evening. And tonight, the proceedings were special as Bobby Knight was among the inductees.
Army AD Kevin Anderson greets the guests coming, and among those assembled for this special event were a number of Knight’s former players such as Jim Crews (the current Army mentor), Steve Downing, Isiah Thomas and Mike Krzyzewski. Younger fans may have forgotten, but the veteran followers remember Knight began his coaching career at this institution.
On introducing Knight to receive the induction, Krzyzewski spoke about his home visit in high school. Knight visited the Krzyzewski family at their home and promised, “there is no better place to get an education than at West Point.” Before his days as “Coach K”, Mike Kryzewski the cadet, student/athlete, was a rock solid guard on some of West Point’s best teams. Knight was particularly fond of telling a story from one of Army’s successful NIT trips.
During the 1969 NIT Army had a second round meeting with a strong South Carolina team that featured John Roche. South Carolina coach Frank McGuire liked to use a 2-3 zone so Knight had an offensive breakdown on attacking it. Point guard Krzyzewski was entrusted with handling the ball and making the key passes against the zone. He was not to shoot. With just under ten minutes to play Army held a comfortable double-digit lead. Krzyzewski found himself at the foul line wide open. He began to go up for a shot and at the last second hit an open teammate. “He (Krzyzewki) followed instructions,” Knight said. “That’s why he is here introducing me tonight,” he humorously added. Over the years Krzyzewski has reached out to Knight for advice, even in preparation for the 2008 Olympics that saw the US take the gold medal.
Knight was appointed head coach at Army at age 24. He spent six seasons (1965-71) at the school and fashioned an impressive 102-50 record. During that time the Black Knights were invited to four NITs and earned two fourth and one third place showing. This was in an era when 32 teams went to the NCAA and 16 to the NIT. Over those years Army was synonymous for valuing the ball and playing tough defense.
Knight spoke a few minutes about a late 60s meeting when the Cadets went up to Syracuse and defeated the Orange on their home floor. The win on the floor was impressive, but an added aura centered around the crowd. It was the height of the Vietnam War era. Anti-war sentiments were high. The Syracuse ROTC building had protesters a few days earlier. Undoubtedly the visitors from the US Military Academy were not greeted with enthusiasm to say the least. On that evening Knight’s club put the off-floor hostilities aside and executed en route to a good win. But it was an evening that former players and Army fans from that game could remember even four decades later.
Steve Downing played on Knight’s first Final Four team at Indiana (1973). He remembers his collegiate mentor with (now) fond memories. “I wanted to transfer,” Downing said regarding Knight’s arrival in Bloomington. “I remember George McGinnis and I were high school students trying to choose a school. We watched Army on TV and saw this guy going crazy on the sidelines. I said I would never play for him.”
Downing signed on at Indiana and his junior year with the Hoosiers he played for a new coach, Bobby Knight. Downing didn’t transfer. He and his teammates wound up in the NCAA semifinal game. They gave eventual champion UCLA a competitive contest. Downing on his part battled Bill Walton gamely.
They all had stories about Knight’s toughness and demands for excellence. They were told a little more lightheartedly but still remembered like yesterday. Kyzyzewski, Crews, Thomas and Downing all went through the same treatment as the players off the bench. There were no favorites. And the influence Knight had on West Point is immeasurable and remembered even today. He instantly brought that same quality to the Big Ten.
“Before coach Knight came the Big and Ten was a fast-break, run and gun conference,” Downing said. “After his arrival defense was a priority. He influenced the entire conference’s style of play.”
Knight won three NCAA championships at Indiana, but his favorite tournament is the nation’s oldest. The Hall of Fame mentor showed the watch he wore to the event that evening. It was an NIT watch – Knight fell in love with the tournament while at West Point. The cadets would make the 50-mile trip to Madison Square Garden to cheer their team on.
Army was very competitive in Knight’s years in the NIT and gained a great deal of exposure due to their exploits. Interestingly, Knight’s NIT title came in 1979 at Indiana, but those memories from the days by the Hudson remain.
“I think the NIT is a great tournament and has done so much for college basketball,” Knight said. “For years the NCAA didn’t do anything for it (NIT). Guys like (the late) Peter Carlesimo and now Jack Powers have done a phenomenal job keeping the NIT as a prominent event.”
