{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Out & about Kentucky Style: Bobby Knight &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"aide0gk3jq\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/out-about-kentucky-style-bobby-knight\/\">Out &#038; about Kentucky Style: Bobby Knight<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/out-about-kentucky-style-bobby-knight\/embed\/#?secret=aide0gk3jq\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Out &#038; about Kentucky Style: Bobby Knight&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"aide0gk3jq\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Gary-West-Guest-Columist.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":473,"description":"Bobby Knight\u2019s recent passing brought up memories of my encounter with the former Indiana basketball coach. It was like a volcano erupting in my ear when Coach Bobby Knight picked up the phone to answer my phone call back in 2014. I was in the middle of writing a book, Better Than Gold, about Kentuckian Kenny Davis. Davis had the distinction of being the captain of the United States 1972 Olympic basketball team that lost to the Russians in what has been called the most controversial game in America\u2019s history. Knight, along with Joe B. Hall had been a part of Coach Henry Iba\u2019s staff that selected the team. I wanted to interview the former Indiana coach to get his take on the team and the game. \u201cI\u2019ll give you his number,\u201d Kenny Davis said while chuckling. \u201cHe won\u2019t answer, and he won\u2019t call you back.\u201d I\u2019ll give it a try, I told Davis. Over the years I\u2019ve had lots of those kind of calls, so what\u2019s another when it comes to Bobby Knight. Heck, years ago I called UK Coach Adolph Rupp and he answered on the first ring. Kenny had gotten to know Knight at the 1972 Olympic Trials at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. Later, Davis called on the coach several times to be a featured speaker at Converse Shoe conventions of which he had a forty year career. I dialed the phone. Not expecting the volatile coach to answer, I had no prepared notes or questions. Ring-ding-a-ling once, twice, and much to my surprise on the third ring, a gruff \u201chello\u201d came into my ear. \u201cHow\u2019d you get this number,\u201d he asked. When I told him Kenny Davis, he seemed to lighten up just a little bit. I\u2019m calling about the 1972 Olympic team trials I quickly said, not sure if he would hang up on me or not. He didn\u2019t. Coach Knight took it from there. Not knowing who I am from a can of corn, he self-launched into a thirty-two minute tirade about his love for Coach Iba and his complete dislike for Bill Walton, C.M. Newton, Joe B. Hall, and John Wooden and anyone else he could think of. If only I had a tape recorder. I didn\u2019t, but in that thirty-two minutes of Knight espousing on his memories of the Olympic Trials, I took several pages of notes, mostly profanity. He was vintage Bobby Knight. Insiders said back then that Wooden was upset at having to fill out an application for the Olympic coaching job. There were those who wanted him to bring the core of his UCLA team with him. Adolph Rupp had done it in 1948 with his Kentucky team. \u201cThat damn Wooden was upset,\u201d said Knight. \u201cAnd if he cared about basketball like he said he did he\u2019d have made Walton play. Walton was given a pass to the team all the way to Munich. Said he was hurt, but he was ok when the Olympics came around.\u201d I was not surprised by Knight\u2019s outburst. At the 1982 Final Four, I was walking across the plaza toward the Superdome with Bill Olsen, then the Athletic Director at the University of Louisville. I was serving at the time as the Director of the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation at Western Kentucky University and Olsen and I met before the game to discuss some fund raising idea at our respective schools. Suddenly Olsen said, \u201cThere\u2019s Coach Knight, I need to talk to him.\u201d \u201cCoach Knight, Coach Knight,\u201d Olsen yelled as the coach stopped and turned around. I, nor Olsen, was not prepared for what came out of Knight\u2019s mouth. \u201cHow\u2019d you get my [blankety blank] number?\u201d Olsen replied, \u201cI was calling you about a coaching position for Mike Pratt (former UK All-American).\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t need your (blankety blank) help or anyone else to hire an assistant coach,\u201d he yelled at Olsen as heads turned from others walking by. Knight abruptly walked away, while Olsen asked me \u201cWhat did I say wrong?\u201d So when it was all said and done, and I could feel the interview was drawing to a close, I was determined to make the conclusion of the call on my terms. Coach, before you go I want to ask you about a friend of mine, Bobby Rascoe (a former Western All-American).\u00a0 To my shock his voice changed to a much softer projection. \u201cBobby Rascoe is one of the best college players I ever saw,\u201d he said recalling the 1960 Western-Ohio State game of which Knight was a Buckeye substitute. \u201cYou tell Bobby I said hello.\u201d \u201cCoach,\u201d I said, \u201cthank you so much for your time and input on my book about Kenny Davis.\u201d Click went the phone. The call, in fact, did end on his terms. There\u2019s no excuse, get up, get out and get going!\u00a0 Gary P. West can be reached at westgarypdeb@gmail.com."}