Indiana Basketball: Just how true is the ESPN Bob Knight article?

In a recent ESPN article, they discussed why the Indiana basketball program has struggled to overcome the Bob Knight departure, nearly two decades ago.

It has been nearly two decades since Bob Knight was let go as the Indiana basketball coach and still he has a stranglehold on the Hoosier program.

After leading Indiana to a 662-239 (.735) record in 29 seasons, the past 20 have seen three coaches come and go, and are currently going into their third season under Archie Miller. In that span, they have a collective record of just 362-264 (.629).

They have struggled to find a consistent presence on the sidelines who exemplifies everything that Indiana wants. And that’s one of the main issues.

In the ESPN article, they talked with numerous writers and insiders, and it was interesting to see what some of them said.

Myron Medcalf, senior college basketball writer:

"“Life was better under Coach Knight,” however, is a haunting catchphrase that impacted every coach who came after Knight, mostly in his worst times. The sustained success that defined the best portion of Knight’s run is something no coach has been able to duplicate. That matters."

The phrase, ‘In 49 states it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana’ has seemingly come back to bite them during some of the down years of recent memory.

"And yes, the job is bigger than basketball in a state that put 41,000 fans in the stands for the state’s high school title game in 1990, brought a standing-room-only crowd to Romeo Langford’s commitment announcement last year and somehow helped Indiana finish 16th in NCAA men’s basketball attendance even in the 2008-09 season (14,331), when the Hoosiers finished 6-25."

So what exactly led to the regression of Indiana basketball? Most tend to believe it was the decision they made in the summer of 2006.

John Gasaway, college basketball writer, pointed directly to the Kelvin Sampson hire.

"“In retrospect, replacing Mike Davis with Kelvin Sampson does loom large purely in terms of opportunity cost. That’s not a knock at all on Sampson, who’s currently doing rather amazing work in Houston. But in 2006 Indiana had a truly blank slate for the first time in 35 years”"

Jeff Borzello added:

"“But ESPN reported at the time that Indiana had reached out to Mark Few and John Calipari (who was then at Memphis), and there’s long been the rumor that John Beilein (then at West Virginia) was heavily involved. Had Indiana been able to land one of those big names, would things have been different in the decade-plus since?”"

Myron Medcalf didn’t necessarily point the finger at Sampson, but did point out it putting the program back for years.

"“The dedication remained in tough times. Whether you blame Sampson for his actions or the NCAA for its response (and the impact that response had on the program), Indiana lost momentum that took years to regain.”"

For most, if not all Indiana fans who grew up idolizing Indiana basketball, they expect nothing less than a National Title.

For a program that hasn’t sniffed a Final Four since 2002, the high expectations are something that every coach has to deal with regardless of the recent success, all thanks to Bob Knights consistency in Bloomington.

Former Indiana coach/assistant/player Dan Dakich told the Detroit Free Press in 2018:

"“They really treated Mike [Davis] poorly for a variety of reasons, one of which was he was the guy following Knight, which wasn’t going to be easy for anybody. Indiana was never going to accept anyone, and I still think they haven’t, that wasn’t Bob Knight.”"

Former Indiana coach Mike Davis chimed in:

"“When you are not getting it done, there’s no grace period. When you take a job like that, you better know what greatness is.”"

But that’s just the incredible pressure that Indiana doesn’t need right now.

When you look at the greatness connected to the Indiana program, it all happened over 20 years ago. Yes there have been a couple of Sweet 16 appearances since and a Final Four appearance as well, but since Bob Knight left, they have missed the NCAA Tournament more times than made it.

Something needs to change, and change fast in order for the program to get back on track.

Is it a coaching change? I don’t believe so at all, and do believe Archie Miller is the right man for the job.

As most Indiana fans believe, Bob Knight is the Indiana basketball program and always will be.

So I ask Indiana fans to believe in Bob Knight once more when he says,

"“Patience is not something a lot of fans have. But [Archie Miller] is going to do a good job. Why? Because he can coach. Most of the coaches I’ve known can’t coach. You folks are going to appreciate him, but it ain’t gonna happen in a year.” — Bob Knight, speaking to a group of Indiana supporters, in 2018"