Texas Tech coach Bob Knight passed up a golden opportunity Tuesday morning.
On ESPN’s Cold Pizza, the legendary former basketball coach at Indiana University had an opportunity to discuss the treatment of current Indiana coach Mike Davis.
Davis, who coached Indiana to the NCAA title game in 2002, has garnered criticism because his current team – once considered a lock into this season’s NCAA tournament – is struggling.
Knight flat out refused to talk about his former school and left quickly when host Dana Jacobson pressed the issue.
This from a coach who has never avoided the spotlight, which makes his refusal to acknowledge the school where he spent 29 years all the more puzzling.
If anyone has insight into the basketball-driven culture of Hoosier country, it is the fiery coach from Ohio.
Five years have passed since Knight left the Bloomington-based school, and it has been four years since he became head coach at Texas Tech.
Former Indiana president Myles Brand fired Knight in 2000 for “defiant and hostile” behavior.
Davis succeeded Knight and took on what appeared to be a lose-lose situation, similar to the fates of Matt Doherty at North Carolina and Steve Lavin at UCLA. Both wilted under the expectations of fans screaming for the same level of success the former coaching legends delivered.
Davis has produced three 20-win seasons, coached three NBA draft picks and played elite competition, but it still isn’t enough for Indiana fans.
These same fans should be supporting the current Indiana team. Attention should be on making the NCAA Tournament, not whether Davis is right for Indiana.
The current team, with Marco Killingsworth, holds the potential to be a tourney bracket buster, but lately Indiana has struggled. The Hoosiers are 13-8 overall, 5-5 in Big Ten play and losers of three consecutive games.
Indiana has accomplished most of that without highly touted sophomore D.J. White, who has been out with a broken foot.
Constant, overwhelming criticism of Davis has had an effect on the team and the sixth-year coach, who has spoken publicly about its negative impact.
Knight possessed the opportunity to be the bigger man. Knight could have said on national television that success isn’t automatic, that his former assistant coach is doing a quality job, but Knight passed.
Davis deserves better, and Knight, who knows Indiana basketball intimately, should have been the one to say it.

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