Bob Knight in Bloomington again, 20 years after firing

BLOOMINGTON, IND. — Bob Knight’s short stroll from the practice gym to Assembly Hall ended a 20-year jour- ney home. It seemed as if he never left.

When the former Indiana Hoosiers coach walked through the tunnel Saturday and onto his old court for the first time since his fir- ing in September 2000, the crowd went wild — chant- ing his name, roaring with approval, thanking him for all the success and banners he brought to Bloomington.

“It was one of the greatest and most emotional things for me,” said former player Randy Wittman, who had a key role in the reunion. “When he moved back here, I told him you’re back here because this is where you belong.”

The sellout crowd and dozens of former players lauded Knight after watching a video detailing Knight’s contribu- tions. He walked in with his son, Pat. He hugged Isiah

Thomas. He was assisted into the arena by Quinn Buckner. And the 79-yearold Knight reveled in the moment, pumping his fist, pretending to direct Scott May in a practice drill and

even leading fans in a cho- rus of “de-fense, de-fense.”

No, he didn’t wear his trademark red sweater or throw a chair. But he did appear to get a little mistyeyed as the fans cheered.

Knight did not speak to the crowd over the public address system. He didn’t need to.

Everyone in attendance understood what the com- bustible coach had on his 29-season resume: A school record 662 victories, 11 Big Ten championships, five Final Four appearances and, yes, three national titles. They knew some of the stories, too — the Olympic gold medal he won in 1984 with Michael Jordan; the infamous chair-throwing incident in 1985; and the firing that took place Sept. 10, 2000, caus- ing the rift between Knight and the university.

University officials put Knight on a zero-tolerance policy earlier that year following an investigation into whether he had choked a former player, the late Neil Reed, during a practice. Then, in September, a stu- dent accused Knight of grab- bing him in a hallway. Knight responded by call- ing his own news confer- ence, bringing witnesses to help explain his version. Two days later, he was fired. That was his last public appear- ance in the building — until Saturday.

Despite the efforts of university officials, Knight refused every chance to come back. He skipped champi- onship team reunions and declined to attend his own induction into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

The thaw began in earnest last spring when he made a surprise appearance at an Indiana baseball game. In July, he bought a house three miles from the basketball arena. Knight hadn’t exactly been invisible around Bloomington or the state after the firing. He took the Texas Tech job, then retired in 2008 with a then-record 902 career wins. He worked on ESPN as a color analyst. He gave speeches, attended fundraisers, signed autographs and attended basketball games around Indiana. And yet

everyone associated with Indiana basketball still had one question: Will he ever come back?

With the Hoosiers playing rival Purdue and his 1980 Big Ten championship team being honored Saturday, Knight made it to Assembly Hall and delivered one of his traditional pregame speeches to the current Hoosiers before their 74-62 loss to the Boilermakers.

“It was like he hadn’t left that locker room,” Wittman said. “The words he gave to those players before they went out on the floor, it was fabulous.”

The fans thought so, too, sending Knight home with one lasting chant: “Thank you Coach, thank you Coach.”

AP Bob Knight makes his first appearance at Indiana since he was fired in September 2000. Knight and ex-player Isiah Thomas (right) were on the court during a ceremony with Indiana players of the 1980 Big Ten championship team.