Newell: Knight’s Career Not Over

Will Bob Knight coach again?

Pete Newell is guessing that he will.

“I’ll bet you they’ll be offers at some of the biggest schools in the country next year,” said Newell, the Hall of Fame coach and a longtime friend of Knight’s. “Knowing Bobby, he’s not going to go out this way, Indiana thinks they’re ruining a career in coaching. I think they’re wrong.”

After 29 years at Indiana and 763 career victories, Knight was fired Sunday for violating the terms of the “zero-tolerance” behavior edict imposed on him May 15 by university President Myles Brand.

Despite Knight’s tempestuous past, Newell thinks there will be schools willing to take a chance.

“I think he’ll have real opportunities,” Newell said, “because you don’t find many coaches who graduate their players, keep their school away from NCAA penalties and produce winning teams for 29 years. Knowing him, he’s a competitor. I don’t think he’ll go out like this.”

Newell said he last spoke to Knight Thursday night, only hours after the coach’s Assembly Hall encounter with a 19-year-old freshman student.

Newell said it couldn’t have been a big deal because Knight never mentioned the incident in their conversation.

“He was happier than a lark,” Newell said. “I was going to go back and visit with him this week. He was going to have a good team.

“I’ll bet you he was surprised as I was when he heard this thing was an issue,” Newell said.