01 * FULL COURT. PRESS What about Bob? A day with Knight 6 by Ken Davidoff Daily Basketball Writer INDIANAPOLIS - There are some people who make news by merely existing. Elvis Presley was probably like that in his day. Napoleon, too. Now, in 1992, that list has dwindled to a mere few. I had the privilege of crossing one of these icon's paths last week when I encountered one Robert Montgomery Knight. You know him as Bob, coach of one of the most successful college basketball programs in modern times. You are also likely aware of his antics throughout the years, whether it was throwing the chair across the court at Purdue or taking his squad home in the middle of an exhibition match against the Russian National Team. That the Indiana coach showed up at the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tipoff Luncheon this past week was surprising in itself. Knight is not ex- actly buddy-buddy with the media, and most as- sumed he would not bother making the 45- minute journey from Bloomington. He entered the media lounge fashionably late, clad in a bright, red sweater splashed with white stripes. Before he could even mutter his first profane comment, reporters swarmed him like a flock of teenage girls would Luke Perry. The other coaches in the room must not have known what hit them. Suddenly, the reflections of Steve Fisher and his associates became as valuable as a "Dukakis/Bentsen '88" button. He lay down the ground rules immediately. "I ain't gonna talk with all those microphones right up in my face, I'll tell you that right now," he said, shooing away ravenous radio casters. The other coaches had condoned this inconvenience, but the General let everyone know who was in charge. A naive young soul asked Mr. Knight what his expectations were of Calbert Cheaney, his star player. Knight ate the reporter for lunch. "Well, I had hoped that he would grow eight inches since last season," he explained with a straight face. "That was my major expectation, and at this point he has not fulfilled it. Since he hasn't grown eight inches, I guess we're stuck with him as he is." Another scribe suggested that Knight had mandated a championship for his freshman class of 1989, which had now reached its senior year. Hello, dessert. "Who were the people that said that?" he asked angrily. "The people that said that have no fucking idea what basketball is all about. Don't put words into my mouth, because that is not something that I said." As the day progressed, the coach shifted his anger towards one of his opponents: Illinois coach Lou Henson. Granted, the owner of the Lou-do started the taunting, but it is safe to say that Knight sank the argument to new depths. Coach Henson told the luncheon crowd how poorly he had been treated by crowds in Indiana. "But I expect to get treated poorly there because, after all, fans are an extension of the coaches." Henson didn't stop there. "I think Bob Knight should forewarn his fans if he's going to wear that sweater," he said. "Bill Foster, will you please unplug him?" The Northwestern coach, sitting next to Knight, smiled uncomfortably. A few speakers later, coach Knight took the microphone for his returning strokes. "Lou, I hope that fans everywhere aren't an extension of a coach because the last time we were in Champaign, we were on a street by the arena and we saw a guy in blue and orange pissing on a hydrant," he said. "Then we turned a corner," he continued, "and we saw three guys dressed in orange and blue watching another guy dressed just like them screwing a goat." The Market Square Arena floor exploded with laughter. . Knight's personality has its advantages, though. Just as he doesn't fear the media or his fellow coaches, he also criticizes the NCAA without hesitation. And a lot of his ideas make a hell of a lot of sense. For example, he questioned the wisdom of the league schedule-makers. "I would think that if you are really concerned and know what the hell you're doing when it comes to scheduling, the first thing that you do is say that each team will play every Saturday or Sunday," he said. "Then that way you have elim- inated some weekday games. "The next step would be utilizing vacation pe- riods, starting with Thanksgiving. Going to Dec. 1 (to start the season) was a mistake because then you eliminate a holiday. "Then I think you should be required to play three or four games during the Christmas break. Now, what you've done by judiciously using weekends and holidays is set up an entire sched- ule where you're going to miss very little class. Considering the crunch that everyone is under fi- nancially, the schedule could then be played with 30 games, if you wanted to, with still fewer class days missed." Not too bad for such an insensitive lout. Yes, Bob Knight is far from perfect, and we're talking far like the distance between Mercury and Pluto. He can often be an intimidating jerk, and his volatile temper may some day catch up to his basketball achievements and force him into an early retirement. But after seeing the legend in person, I've de- cided I'm, glad that Bobby Knight exists. His teams constantly provide the most exciting com- petition around, and his vile mouth can some- times surprise with unsurpassed wisdom. I imagine Elvis had his enemies. Maybe even Napoleon, too. But along with the sea of hatred and contempt come a multitude of admirers. When it comes to Bob Knight, count me along the latter. Students scrimage during last night's open tryouts for the men's basketball team at Crisler Arena. Roughly 30 players showed up for the practice. 'M' hoops, walk-Ons start practice season JAPAN AWAITS YOU!!! The Japan Exchange and [eaching (JET) Program offers the opportunity to see and experience life in Japan while serving as an Assistant English Teacher (AET) or a Coordinator for International Relations (CI R). Help Japanese students understand the English language and American culture or promote international relations in local government as you travel and enhance your knowledge of the world. For further information, please write: Japan Information Center Deadline for Applications: Consulate General of Japan - 737 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1000 December 15, 1992 Chicago, Illinois 60611 SPONSORED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN by Ryan Herrington Daily Basketball Writer Without the fanfare of Midnight Madness surrounding the opening of the 1992-93 season, the Michigan men's basketball team embarked on its quest to return to the Final Four yesterday as the Wolverines held their first official practice. The date for the start of the prac- tice season was set back this year from its usual starting date of Oct. 15. While that means two fewer weeks of drills and conditioning, Michigan coach Steve Fisher was indifferent about how it would affect his team. "We're anxious to get started," Fisher said. "I don't think it will have a major impact on any of us. I think if you asked the players, they'd say they were happy with it. It's two less weeks of practice and two more weeks to play on their own." In addition to the first practice for the squad, an open tryout was held last night for students interested in walking on to the team. About 30 players showed up for the two-hour session, which included some basic drills and some full court action. As- sistant coach Jay Smith is hopeful that the Wolverines might find a solid role player for the team. "We're only carrying 12 guys on scholarship and we'd like to carry 14 just because of injury purposes," Smith said. "We could use a couple extra people for playing. "You never know what you're going to get. We're hoping maybe there's another Freddie Hunter out there that we can add to our team." Hunter, who played for the Wolverines the last two seasons and was the team's captain a year ago, walked on to the team in 1990. The open tryouts end tonight with another two-hour session beginning at 7 p.m. The coaches will decide from there whether to call any of the players back. The Wolverines' first regular season game is Dec. 1 at Rice. READ THE DAILY 1 0 0 m