As one Knight fades, his dad makes his debut in the booth

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The new Coach Knight covered his face on the bench after Texas Tech fumbled away a crucial possession in the final seconds of a Big 12 tournament loss to Oklahoma State on Thursday.

Pat Knight cuts a better figure in his trademark sweater vests than his Hall of Fame father in those long-sleeved sweaters, but he was just as exasperated with the mistakes his players made in a 76-72 loss that leaves them hoping for a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.

“It has been a real letdown, you know?” said Pat Knight, whose team is 16-15 and has gone 4-7 since he succeeded his father, Bob Knight, when he resigned at mid-season.

He is his father’s son, but he is not a coach completely in his father’s image.

Pat Knight runs motion offense like his father, but his team plays a little bit faster -- and he’ll mix in a zone along with man-to-man defense.

The players notice other differences.

“I’d just say he’s been a little more lenient with us,” guard Alan Voskuil said. “He wants us to be confident in how we play.”

Knight says he wants to “let them know, hey, I’m not going to take you out for offensive mistakes. But defense is another thing. If you screw up on that, I’ll take you out.”

He is smart like his father but less volatile, with an easy manner with people.

There is also a demanding side to Pat Knight. After a 44-point loss to Texas A&M;, he made the players flip tractor tires instead of practice.

The next game, they upset top-10 Texas.

“I figure that about four times a year you can really, really go off on the team to get their attention,” Knight said. “. . . So the tire thing worked good once, but it’s pretty much done with until next year.”

Meanwhile, Bob Knight will spend the NCAA tournament working as a studio analyst for ESPN. He made his debut Wednesday, bantering alongside old friend Digger Phelps.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he really loved it or if he lasted a day,” Pat Knight said. “We’ll see what happens. I just gave him some advice. ‘You know there are some guys that don’t like you, it’s obvious, with ESPN. But just be nice to them if you pass them in the hallway.’ ”

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robyn.norwood@latimes.com