Saturday, October 13, 2001
Knight opens first season at Texas Tech
The Associated Press
LUBBOCK, Texas — Call it Mid-Knight Madness. After a year away from college basketball, Bob Knight headed back on court as Texas Tech officially opened its season by practicing at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Knight came onto the court a half-hour earlier and told fans they had the opportunity to make their presence felt.
“We have a chance to make this arena the most special place for college basketball in America,” Knight told the crowd. “You fans underestimate what you've got here. To hell with people who don't like West Texas.”
Knight said he wants opposing players to leave with the memory of the Texas Tech fans.
“Let them go home and say. "I've never played in any place like this. I wish we had fans like that.”'
Knight didn't miss an opportunity to take a shot at the referees.
“Now occasionally there'll be an official who makes a bad call,” he said, encouraging the fans not to get upset, “Except, when I stand up and say something, you'll know damn well they're wrong.”
It surely was the most anticipated Midnight Madness event in the country, surpassing Rick Pitino's debut at Louisville and Maryland's celebration of a Final Four appearance.
“It's a new beginning,” said Brian Bell, a Texas Tech senior. “The national spotlight is finally on the basketball team. It's Bob Knight. You can't get better than that.”
Eric Thompson waited on the steps outside United Spirit Arena.
“Got Knight?” read the front of Thompson's red T-shirt, a takeoff on the dairy industry's advertising campaign. On the back, “We do,” is scripted across an outline of Texas with a star marking Lubbock's location in West Texas.
“He's very successful, charismatic and has a unique personality,” said the 18-year-old freshman from Albuquerque, N.M. I've always thought he was kind of an interesting guy.”
Hundreds of others waited in the cool weather, some arriving as early as three hours before the 9:45 p.m. event. One man paid homage to Knight by donning a white wig.
“I'm trying to be him,” said Keith Klein, a student from Flower Mound. “I'm here for the basketball team, but he's definitely an added bonus.”
Since Knight was hired in March, fans have been snapping up every available ticket and scholarship donations have soared. Office space has been carved out in the men's basketball department to accommodate Knight's staff, which includes sons Tim and Pat, and his secretary from his days at Indiana.
The Red Raider Club, the fund-raising arm of the university, reports that its active accounts have increased by about 35 percent from a year ago.
Knight has pushed donations to the school's library at dozens of speaking engagements, and more than $70,000 has flowed into the Coach Bob Knight Basketball Library Fund, established in May.
Knight was fired by Indiana in September 2000, after violating a zero-tolerance behavior policy. But he has been welcomed warmly in this West Texas town of about 200,000, where fans were unhappy about four straight losing seasons under former coach James Dickey. The team's last trip to the NCAA tournament was in 1996.
“I'm tired of seeing Tech have a weak basketball team,” Bell said. “He'll get us back into the Big Dance at the end of the year.”
Knight has had one losing season in 35 years of coaching, 29 at Indiana.
At least 12,000 season tickets have been sold for Texas Tech's home games. The school averaged 9,557 fans last season at its 15,050-seat arena.
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Indiana football scores
Anderson 29, Amelia 0
Batavia 18, Bethel Tate 8
Beechwood 42, Holy Cross 0
Bellevue 37, Ludlow 0
Boone County 17, Dixie Heights 13
Campbell County 28, Conner 13
Cin. Hills Christian Academy 33, Landmark Christian 16
Cincinnati Country Day 37, Lockland 6
Colerain 42, Middletown 0
East Central 31, La Salle 21
Goshen 21, Norwood 14
Hamilton 17, Oak Hills 14
Harrison 40, Mason 16
Hillsboro 14, Clinton Massie 10
Kings 34, Wilmington 14
Lakota East 21, Sycamore 20
Lebanon 24, Fairborn 0
Lloyd 33, Garrard County 10
Loveland 27, Little Miami 7
Madeira 21, Indian Hill 20
McNicholas 41, Badin 12
Milford 24, Fairfield 19
Moeller 20, Col. St. Francis De Sales 10
Mount Healthy 62, Shroder 0
New Richmond 50, Clermont Northeastern 12
NewCath 63, Dayton 8
North College Hill 49, New Miami 2
Princeton 30, Lakota West 21
Reading 42, Mariemont 6
Roger Bacon 20, Purcell Marian 10
Summit County Day 74, Yellow Springs 13
Talawanda 34, Edgewood 25
Taylor 33, Deer Park 6
Washington Court House 28, Jonathan Alder 15
West Carrollton 12, Monroe 6
Western Hills 27, Woodward 8
Williamsburg 66, Western Brown 8
Winton Woods 24, Turpin 7
Wyoming 49, Finneytown 20
Knight opens first season at Texas Tech 
