Bob Knight has won more college basketball games as a coach save for the guy he coached at Army, Duke's head man Mike Krzyzewski. Knight is generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best, college basketball coach of all time.
Why then can't this former coach watch a game and tell us, as viewers on ESPN, when a significant coaching move is being made or has been made?
ESPN watchers are again being subjected to Knight's inability to provide color in a way that provides value to the broadcast. Last night's Kansas-Kansas State Big Monday game provided Exhibit A for why Knight must go.
In the second half, after Kansas State had made their run and went up by one, KU's coach Bill Self switched to a triangle-and-two defense. Jeff Withey, Thomas Robinson and Connor Teahan were playing the triangle--a zone--and Tyshawn Taylor and Elijah Johnson were playing the "two," chasing their men in a man-to-man discipline.
The Jayhawks used this defense successfully on several possessions yet Knight never observed the change or chose to comment about the change. It was a pivotal moment in the game.
There are terrific color commentators out there who are former coaches who have won far fewer games than Knight who would have made that observation and explained the defense to the viewers. Fran Fraschilla is one, Bill Raftery is another. Why we, in Big 12 territory, get subjected to Knight again this year is maddening.
Please, ESPN, if you want to use Knight put him in the studio and camp him there--he does not deserve a spot on the sideline doing color commentary.
(I think the guy handling the ESPN feed at Time Warner Cable here in Kansas City could have done a better job calling the game than Knight. Oh...wait--the Time Warner guy didn't get to see the first half of that game due to the malfunction at TWC. But, that's another story!)
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