Job Discussion Reported Between Texas Tech, Knight

Former Indiana coach Bobby Knight reportedly has been contacted about becoming the next coach at Texas Tech.

Reports out of Lubbock, Texas and Evansville, Ind., Wednesday night had Knight, who coached 29 seasons at Indiana and won three national championships, close to a deal to take over the Red Raider program.

Texas Tech, which plays Oklahoma State today in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo., is currently coached by James Dickey. Texas Tech President David Schmidly expressed concern last week over the state of the program and said that Dickey’s job status would be evaluated after the season. Dickey is 166-123 in 10 years at the school, but the Red Raiders have not had a winning season in five seasons and are 9-18 this season.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported that Schmidly and Athletic Director Gerald Myers met with Knight last week in Naples, Fla., about the possibility of taking over the Texas Tech program.

Myers told the paper that “I’m not going to make any comment of any kind until I’ve spoken to James after our last game.”

Knight was in Miami on Wednesday night attending the Dallas-Miami Heat game with Maverick owner Mark Cuban, who attended Indiana University.

WFIE-TV in Evansville was reporting that Knight already was working on a staff, which would include his son, Pat.

Knight’s fiery temper eventually led to his dismissal at Indiana. A series of incidents, capped by a videotape that was leaked to CNN-SI of Knight grabbing former player Neil Reed by the throat during a practice, led to Indiana President Myles Brand putting Knight on a “zero-tolerance” policy last spring. Knight then violated that policy in a confrontation with an Indiana student last fall when he allegedly grabbed the student by the arm.

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Drexel University fired men’s coach Steve Seymour after the Dragons completed a 15-12 season. Seymour had a record of 28-29 in two seasons with Drexel. . . . Ed Schilling received a three-year contract extension from Wright State after an 18-11 season. Terms of the contract, which runs through the 2004-05 season, were not disclosed. Schilling just completed the fourth year of a five-year contract.

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Defending champion Connecticut lost senior guard Shea Ralph for the season after an MRI exam confirmed she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during Tuesday night’s Big East title game victory over Notre Dame. Ralph, last year’s Final Four most valuable player, will have surgery after the NCAA tournament, school officials said. It’s the second major blow to the Huskies in five weeks. All-American Svetlana Abrosimova suffered a season-ending foot injury in a Feb. 1 loss to Tennessee. . . . Dee Knoblauch was fired as coach at Bowling Green. She had a three-year record of 35-49, including an 11-18 mark this season.