LUBBOCK, Texas – Formal discussions began Friday to make
Bob Knight the new coach at Texas Tech.
The longtime Indiana coach, fired six months ago for violating
behavior policy, met with Tech's president, chancellor and four
regents.
Taking a break from the talks, Tech president David Schmidly
said he planned to meet next week with faculty members who have
signed a petition against Knight. The petition cited several highly
publicized outbursts during Knight's 29 years with the Hoosiers.
"They have a right to do it. Freedom of speech is a fundamental
right at any university," Schmidly said. "I don't have a problem
with it."
Knight did not speak to reporters Friday, but he said Thursday
that the job appealed to him "tremendously."
On Friday night, he was among the thunderous crowd in Tech's
1½-year-old $68 million arena as the No. 13 Lady Raiders played
Penn in the NCAA tournament. Knight sat beside his old friend, Tech
athletic director Gerald Myers, in a box overlooking the court.
A biology professor who is a member of Tech's Athletic Council
said the 71 faculty members who endorsed the anti-Knight petition
are not representative of the more than 900 faculty members at the
school.
"I think any university has a number of people that meet almost
any action with a negative attitude," said Robert J. Baker, one of
11 members of the Athletic Council that met with Knight and will
make a recommendation to the president. The council is made up of
six faculty members, three community members, a student and an
alum.
"To me, it's just a poor attitude they have," Baker said.
"People are entitled to a second chance, and Tech is entitled to
build a quality program."
He said Knight also could get more Tech athletes to graduate,
noting the 98 percent graduation rate among basketball players
during his time at Indiana.
Another member of the council was more ambivalent, however.
While impressed by Knight's record, which includes three
national championships and 11 Big Ten titles, Ginny Felstehausen, a
professor of family and consumer sciences education, said she also
has concerns.
Among them is a comment Knight made in a 1988 interview with
NBC, Felstehausen said. When asked how he handled stress, Knight
replied: "I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy
it."
Knight explained he was talking about something beyond one's
control, not the act of rape. The remark triggered protests and a
march of about 300 people on the Indiana campus.
Felstehausen said Tech officials need to examine their
priorities.
"For him as a coach, for him as a man who really values
education, which is obvious, those are issues that I think are
really important for Texas Tech," she said. "But I think when you
look at the big picture, you have to ask, `Where are we?'
"I'm supportive of athletics and aware that we need to draw
crowds, but at what price?"
No offer may be made to Knight until March 23 at 5 p.m. because
of a university policy that the job remain vacant for 10 business
days. It opened March 9 when James Dickey was fired after his
fourth straight losing season.
In recent years, the Red Raiders have lost nine scholarships
because of NCAA sanctions related to recruiting and unethical
conduct. Knight's program at Indiana was free of any major NCAA
violations.
But last May, Knight was placed under a zero-tolerance behavior
policy after the discovery of a videotape that showed him putting
his hand around a former player's neck. He later was fired after
grabbing a student by the arm to lecture him on manners.
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AUDIO VIDEO
 ESPN's Steve Cyphers reports on Bob Knight talking to Texas Tech.
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