Coach Knight Molds Champions

Just two days before the start of the 2000 NCAA Tournament former Indiana player Neil Reed has come out of the woodwork to make an accusation that coach Bobby Knight choked him once during a 1997 practice.

This is the same player who says he quit the team while current Indiana players who played with Reed during his three years with the Hoosiers say "they" voted him off the team. And despite Reed's comments, players who played during Reed's time at Indiana say the alleged choking incident never happened.

"I was an assistant when Reed was playing, and his allegation that I had to separate him from coach Knight is totally false," former Indiana assistant Dan Dakich said in his statement.

Former Indiana player Robbie Eggers said in his statement: "I would certainly remember if an incident like that occurred. The statement that he was choked by coach Knight is totally ridiculous."

Even University vice president Christopher Simpson, who said that he attended many practices during Reed's years, calls the report "total fabrication."

He said that coach Knight does yell at his players, "But don't most coaches?" Simpson said. "I'm not an expert on basketball, but I saw nothing at any of the practices I attended that I wouldn't expect to see at any other top-ranked team's practice."

The timing of Reed's accusation has come out now for only one reason - in an attempt to embarrass coach Knight at the beginning of the NCAA's. This is nothing new to Bob Knight and I'm sure he's not losing sleep over it either. What bothers me is that these same reporters who are upset about athletes being treated like gods and athletes who don't have to do their school work and athletes who accept money from boosters are the same ones who criticize coach Knight for being a tough coach.

And who are these athletes who can't take a coach yelling at them? What planet have they been living? I would bet that these same players who can't take a little yelling and a little criticism from coach Knight are the same ones who coasted through high school because of their God-given talent. They probably never had to break a sweat in high school because they were the superstars. In fact that's just what Neil Reed was - he was a coach's son and probably got special treatment because of it. Imagine going from being the superstar of not just your school's team but the superstar of the city or the state. These so-called kids go from being given everything they want on a silver platter to playing for one of the most demanding coaches in basketball.

But again - where have these guys been living? Reed said it was his childhood dream to play for Indiana and coach Knight. Hey Neil! Being that it was your childhood dream to play for coach Knight - didn't you know what to expect? Come on! I'm not saying that everyone can and I'm not saying that everyone should put up with the way Knight coaches but for those who dont want to get yelled at and for those that just want to coast by like they may have done in high school should not play for Indiana. Repeat: If you are a superstar high school basketball player and you do not want to get yelled at - DON'T accept a scholarship to Indiana University to play for Knight and the Hoosiers. You will not be happy.

On the other hand if you want to play for the only active coach to win three national titles you should play for Bob Knight. If you want to play for a coach who has led his team to 19 Big Ten titles then you should play for Bob Knight. And parents - if you want your kid playing for a coach who has one of the highest graduation rates among college sports programs and if you want your kid going to a university where his coach will make him work just as hard on his school work than he works on basketball then you want him to play for Bob Knight.

In a day when it's not even big news when a college program is reprehended because of NCAA violations coach Knight is a welcomed change. In three decades as a coach not one Knight program has had major NCAA violation.

Bob Knight is a coach who has proven only one thing during his career - that he produces champions - on and off the court.

Written by James Hutton