Bob Knight’s Teachings, Legacy Still Felt At Indiana

Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight passed away Wednesday, but his influence on the current team is still prominent through two of his pupils, Mike Woodson and Calbert Cheaney.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Woodson fought back tears.

The man who meant the world to him, who shaped his career from high school through adulthood, who he considers the greatest college basketball coach of all time, had died the day before. Woodson tried to describe Thursday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall what Bob Knight meant to him.

“This program will truly miss an icon,” Woodson said. “It's hard to really describe in words what he meant to me, but boy, I wouldn't be sitting in this seat today if it wasn't for Bob Knight.”

While Knight is no longer around to attend practices, continue his life-long mentorship of countless players, or scream “defense” at the crowd at Assembly Hall – or “Bob Knight’s house,” as Woodson called it – like he did in his triumphant and necessary return in 2020, his legacy lives on.

Most directly, current Hoosiers like Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway felt Knight’s presence at practice last year. Galloway grew up in Indiana, the son of a coach who always talked about Knight. He said he could see Woodson’s face light up whenever Knight walked in. And with the person who built the foundation at Indiana with three national championships and 11 Big Ten titles watching, Johnson said, the Hoosiers often had their best practices.

“Whenever he came to practice,” Galloway said. “We knew it was business.”

Bob Knight sits with his former player and current Indiana coach Mike Woodson at a practice during the 2022-23 season / Indiana Athletics

It was bittersweet for Woodson, though. He wishes his mentor was healthier at that time, so they could truly talk basketball like old days. Thinking back to his playing career – 104 games and 2,061 points as a Hoosier – Woodson sensed Knight was always two steps ahead of everybody, and preparation was one of his best traits. But that sharpness just wasn’t there anymore.

“I'm new to this college game,” Woodson said. “Boy, if he was right, man, it would have been unbelievable to sit next to him and help me navigate through the waters of college basketball because he was so brilliant. His mind was just phenomenal in terms of his thought and his process in terms of beating his opponent.”

Players felt Knight’s presence when he was in the building, but the former coach’s impact is felt more consistently through two of his top former players – Woodson and Calbert Cheaney, Indiana’s all-time leading scorer.

Woodson aims to embrace certain traits of Knight, both on and off the court. Knight was someone Woodson could lean on. After his Indiana career, Woodson said, Knight would come watch him play in the NBA. And when he retired, Knight made the phone call that got Woodson his first NBA coaching gig.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Knight’s family and all who loved him. He influenced my life in ways I could never repay. It is a very sad day for all of us who loved him. pic.twitter.com/lfo9GhCEwZ

— Mike Woodson (@MikeWoodsonNBA) November 1, 2023

Woodson tries to have that same level of care for his current players. Johnson saw this at its highest level when he missed most of last season with a broken foot. He said Woodson took him in like a family member. Galloway referenced the ups and downs of last season, but said it became easier to battle through adversity, knowing Woodson had their back.

Not all coaches are like that. Woodson hopes players respect him enough to reach out after their Indiana days if they ever need help, like he did with Knight. Woodson isn’t quite as animated on the sidelines as his coach was, but he sees carryover from his days with Knight from a motivational perspective.

“I'm going to continue to push guys and make sure that they do all the things necessary on the court as well as off the court. That's how I learned,” Woodson said. “I think I've turned out just fine in that regard. That's something [Knight] instilled in me when I played here, and while I'm coaching this Indiana team, I'm going to do the same thing.”

Woodson hired Cheaney before the season to become Indiana’s director of player development, and he’s also implemented certain teachings from Knight. The notebook that grew and grew over his four years as an Indiana player is still in Cheaney’s office today and serves as a reminder of the importance of teaching.

Playing for Knight, Cheaney said he often knew exactly what the opponent was going to run because of his preparation. His notebook is filled with offensive and defensive concepts, special situations and the way Knight taught players how to function as a team – not as individuals.

He tries to bring some of Knight’s competitiveness, too.

“Sometimes to a certain degree I have to go fire and brimstone on guys,” Cheaney said. “Just to get them to understand … This is what you've got to do to win. You've got to have that competitive fire and competitive spirit in order to be successful.”

Director of Player Development Calbert Cheaney, who played for Bob Knight, speaks about his influence on him and others during a press conference at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023 :: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

There’s time for tough love, but also other times when Cheaney said he puts his arm around a player and supports them. Knight’s version of love, Cheaney recalls, was hitting him in the back of the head with his national championship ring. He may not have always been easy to deal with, but Cheaney feels a lot of people didn’t see the side that was always there for his players.

“He's going to make you not like him sometimes,” Cheaney said. “But at the end of the day, when you graduate and go off and do your own thing, he'll do anything for you.”

As Indiana pushes forward in the early stages of its season, coping with Knight’s death becomes the first challenge it has to face. The loss of Knight has visibly shaken Woodson, who saw his coach as somewhat of a father figure after losing his own at a young age.

The team will wear commemorative “RMK” patches on their jersey to honor Robert Montgomery Knight throughout the entire season. And team captains Johnson and Galloway want to help Woodson in a similar way that he’s helped them.

“We need to wrap our arms around him,” Johnson said. “We've got to come at it as a unit and play hard for him, and we've got to know the reason why we're playing.”

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• BOB KNIGHT DIES AT 83: Bob Knight, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who won three national titles at Indiana and coached through several controversial moments, passed away on Wednesday. In poor health the past few years, the beloved coach was 83 years old. CLICK HERE
• FORMER INDIANA PLAYERS ON KNIGHT: Bob Knight's passing, as expected, hit many of his Indiana players hard on Wednesday, and it stirred up many wonderful memories. Dean Garrett, the center on Knight's last championship team in 1987, said Knight ''taught me to be a man'' and was a friend and mentor forever. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA BASKETBALL & FOOTBALL HONORING KNIGHT: The Indiana basketball and football programs will honor and celebrate the life of legendary coach Bob Knight by wearing jersey patches and helmet decals throughout the season. CLICK HERE
• MARIAN AD STEVE DOWNING HONORING KNIGHT: Two days after the passing of legendary Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight, the Hoosiers will play an exhibition game against Marian, whose athletic director, Steve Downing, played two seasons for Knight at Indiana. CLICK HERE