The Halfcourt Trap Vol. I, No. 26

The Trap is back at Chez Hatvol in Knoxville for tomorrow night’s Tennessee-Florida clash. This column was going to be a recap of what was an eventful and entertaining weekend in Philadelphia. However, given the events of the past couple of hours, that can wait.

The list of people I consider heroes isn’t very long. That said, if I start calling roll of those people, it’s not long before Bob Knight’s name comes up. I’m certain many will choose to focus on thrown chairs, bullwhips, and Neil Reed. That’s their prerogative. It’s my prerogative to consider those people shortsighted and beneath my contempt.

I choose to emphasize the accomplishments of Bob Knight. Not just the 902 wins, 3 National Titles, and Olympic Gold Medal. Those aren’t how the man measures himself. Instead, I choose to celebrate a coach who transformed the Big 10 from a helter skelter, run and gun league into a conference where defense and shot selection were paramount. Further, I see a man who achieved at the highest levels without as much as a mention of any recruiting improprieties. A man who has the unabashed, fierce loyalty of 99.9% of the players who finished their eligibility playing for him. A man who walked the walk when it came to demanding his players achieve as much, and often times more, in the classroom as they did on the court. A man who venerated the greats who came before him, Iba, Bee, Newell, Taylor, Lapchick, Dean, and many others, long after the public had chosen to cast them aside. That’s the man I’ll remember.

I’ll leave you with this, there might have been a couple of different starters for the game, but these are main fives for the two teams.

1984 East Regional Semifinals in Atlanta

North Carolina:
Kenny Smith
Steve Hale
Michael Jordan
Sam Perkins
Brad Daugherty

Indiana:
Chuck Franz
Steve Alford
Dan Dakich
Mike Giomi
Uwe Blab

Final Score: Indiana-72 North Carolina-68.

To borrow from Bret Hart, goodbye to the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.