The Goodland Daily News / Friday, January 31, 2003 9 Cowboys ready to play Knight one victory away from 800 By Betsy Blaney “just never meant anything to me,” Knight registered wins Nos. 200- continually kind of tinker with and Oberlin Red Devils Associated Press Writer he said. 700, and all three of his national fiddle around with and think about LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — “I’ve gotten upset when I lost. titles, while coaching the Hoosiers and work with.” By Michelle L. Hawkins out, though the Devils are not When Bob Knight had to clear out When we won, that’s just kind of from 1971-2000. Along the way, the Adolph Rupp of Kentucky was The Goodland Daily News ranked in their Class 3A divi- his locker at Indiana, his son discov- what I thought we were supposed to silver-haired coach known as the the longtime record-holder for Tonight, the Cowboys and sion. ered three balls buried under junk do,” said Knight, who has won three General also became infamous for coaching victories at 876. North Cowgirls will be facing the “We will still have to play and stained by a soft drink. national championships. his temper. Carolina’s Dean Smith passed him Oberlin Red Devils at Max Jones pretty good to win,” McLean Each was taped with a number — While Knight won’t step back He threw a chair across a court; in 1997 and retired with 879. Jim Fieldhouse said. 500, 600 and 700 to mark the and ponder this accomplishment, kicked a chair on the sideline while Phelan of Mount St. Mary’s has 826 The C teams will start the McLean said injuries to Der- coach’s milestone victories. his peers are happy to do it for him. his son, Pat, was sitting in it; had wins and is retiring after this season. evening off at 3:45 p.m., and the rick Raymer and Bobby Miller “I took them back to the house,” “Eight-hundred means you’ve countless spats with officials and “Bob has a chance to become the Cowgirls will tip off at 5:30 p.m. have hurt the team, but he has said Pat Knight, who emptied the sustained excellence for a long, reporters; and was accused of grab- winningest coach in college basket- The junior varsity boys will play been pleased with the perfor- locker after Indiana fired his dad in long time,” said Duke coach Mike bing a player by the throat during a ball,” Oklahoma State coach Eddie opposite of the varsity girls, mance of the seven players who 2000. “He just threw them in the Krzyzewski, who got his Division practice. A videotape of that 1997 Sutton said. “I think that he still has while the junior varsity girls will have had the majority of playing closet.” I coaching start as an assistant to episode created a furor that eventu- a lot of good years left.” play at the same time as the var- time. Yep, Bob Knight doesn’t like to Knight. “I hope he gets a lot more.” ally led to his dismissal in Septem- Tennessee coach Pat Summitt sity boys. “We do have some depth from make a fuss about all his achieve- Kansas coach Roy Williams, who ber 2000. and Texas coach Jody Conradt be- Varsity games are in the main the bench,” McLean said, ments. But he’ll soon have another recently hit 400, said: “Eight-hun- After a year away, he made a sur- came the first women’s coaches to arena and junior varsity on the “enough to play well.” ball to add to his unwanted collec- dred wins is just mind-boggling. I prising comeback in West Texas. reach 800 wins, both getting there junior high floor. Miller is expected to return to tion. don’t know if I could live through The Red Raiders hadn’t had a win- this month. After the girls game, the Cow- the Cowboy’s lineup in tonight’s Knight won his 799th game 800 games, much less 800 wins.” ning record in four years but went Knight’s 800th will come in his boys will take the court to play the game. McLean said he would Wednesday when his Texas Tech Former Texas-El Paso coach Don 23-9 and reached the NCAA tour- 37th season — four more than 9-4 Red Devils. Goodland cur- play tonight and see how it goes. Red Raiders beat Colorado. One Haskins knows Knight well and nament in Knight’s first season. Smith and eight fewer than Phelan. rently has a 7-4 record and was If he is feeling OK, he will pos- more victory will make him the thinks his friend is bluffing when he His triumphant return made even Summitt did it in her 29th season, ranked ninth in Class 4A weekly sibly play on Saturday as the fourth men’s Division I coach to says No. 800 won’t matter. his harshest critics acknowledge his Conradt in her 34th. basketball rankings released this boys travel to Hugoton. reach 800. His first chance comes “He probably will say it doesn’t, coaching brilliance. This season, “I don’t think any coach thinks of week by the Kansas Basketball Both the junior varsity and Saturday night against Texas A&M but it’s got to,” Haskins said. “The the team is 12-4 and has spent time it as ’his’ wins,” said Smith, who Coaches Association. varsity will play at Hugoton. Tip in College Station. main thing is, he’ll want to get it in the Top 25. occasionally plays golf with Head coach Jon McLean said off is scheduled for 3 p.m. For Knight, the milestone only over with, because it kind of dis- “I think it’s great recognition for Knight. “It’s the team’s. The wins Oberlin is pretty tough and has Mountain Time. The Eagles proves he’s coached a long time, tracts from playing.” the university, for Tech, for our bas- belong to the teams and the losses two talented players who stand have a 6-6 record. since 1965. As for wins with nu- Adding to the significance of the ketball program for him to win his to us, because they’re doing what merical significance, he said he re- milestone is that it’s happening at 800th here,” said athletic director we ask them to do.” members only No. 1. The others Tech, not Indiana. Gerald Myers, who took a lot of Knight has had only one losing criticism for hiring Knight. season, and he has one undefeated Pat Knight, a Red Raiders assis- season — 1975-76, when the Hoo- tant, believes his father returned to siers went 32-0. No Division I Williams says Jayhawks struggle with ‘inner demons’ college basketball because he real- men’s team has done that since. He ized he could only fish, hunt and also coached the U.S. Olympic By Doug Tucker game losing streak in nine years has Colorado was followed by a second graduated from high school. golf so much. team to a gold medal in 1984. AP Sports Writer put them back in their box — at least straight loss — to No. 1 Arizona. In “It’s as discouraging for him as it “I just really enjoy the game,” “He’s one of our great leaders in LAWRENCE, (AP) — At times for the time being. that game, the Jayhawks shot only for all of us,” Williams said. Bob Knight said. “I’ve always en- America,” said Baylor coach Dave during this frustrating, up-and- “It hasn’t been the smoothest 29 percent in a miserable second “There’s no magic wand to wave joyed what can be done with basket- Bliss, one of Knight’s former assis- down season at Kansas, opposing ride,” Williams said. half and lost a 20-point lead en route around.” ball. It’s like something you can tants. “ coaches and players have not been So far this season, in defense of to a 17-point loss. The come-from-behind victory the only problem for the Jayhawks. last season’s Big 12 championship, It’s a hard team to get a handle on, over Texas, when seniors Nick “The inner demons we were the Jayhawks (14-5, 4-1 Big 12) especially as Simien waits for his Collison and Kirk Hinrich played fighting on our own part were just have been ranked as high as No. 2 shoulder to heal. Williams said perhaps their best combined game, as important,” said coach Roy Wil- and as low as No. 20. Thursday Simien would miss could go a long way toward restor- liams. Now they’re right in the middle Saturday’s game at Nebraska as ing the taggered confidence of a Inner demons? at No. 12. well as Monday night’s home game team that’s used to winning and They’re the frightful doubts, Wil- A 67-56 loss to North Carolina in against Missouri. went 16-0 through the Big 12 sea- liams explained, that come out at the preseason NIT was about a Beyond that? Nobody seems to son last year. night and plant themselves into a poorly as a Kansas team has played know. In the meantime, with Simien still young athlete’s psyche: Are we re- since Williams became head coach “We’re just hanging in there and out and the razor-thin bench still try- ally good enough? Am I good in 1989. Then 6-foot-9 Wayne waiting to see what happens,” Wil- ing to become productive, Williams enough to deliver what these de- Simien, their leading rebounder and liams said.