Looks like Knight is afraid of Kentucky fans
February 7th, 2010 | 
Author: By LARRY VAUGHT
Maybe I’ve not always agreed with Bobby Knight’s words or actions, but at least I always believed he was courageous.
Guess what? I was wrong.
If Knight was courageous, he would still be coming to Rupp Arena Saturday as part of ESPN’s GameDay crew. Instead, ESPN is making a lame excuse for why Knight can’t come and face a Rupp Arena crowd of over 20,000 after blasting UK coach John Calipari earlier this year.
Knight seemed so brave when he was on TV questioning how UK could hire Calipari after Memphis and Massachusetts had been ordered to vacate Final Four berths when he was the coach and taking aim at one-and-done players in college like Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, two of Calipari’s former players at Memphis.
Now a scheduling conflict will keep him away from Rupp Arena. And donkeys are going to fly, too, if you believe that excuse.
Knight is working at Minnesota Thursday when Tubby Smith’s team will host Michigan. He will work again the following Tuesday when Kansas plays at Texas A&M. Guess there is no way to get from Minnesota to Kentucky on Friday and then from Kentucky to Texas on Sunday. That would be SUCH a hard travel schedule compared to a SEC team playing a Thursday night home game and then having to travel for a Saturday afternoon away game.
And the nation will be hanging on those Minnesota-Michigan and Kansas-Texas A&M games much more than they would a Kentucky versus Tennessee game that features Calipari versus nemesis Bruce Pearl — and certainly the nation’s college basketball fans would not be interested in seeing Knight having to go face-to-face with Calipari or the Kentucky fan base.
ESPN is bringing its other stars. Jay Bilas, Rece Davis, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps will be on the GameDay crew that will be live at 11 a.m. That night Dick Vitale, Dan Shulman and Erin Andrews will work the game.
The cowardly Knight will be able to kick back, take break from that rigorous schedule that has him working two games in five days and watch how professionals work. Bilas, Phelps and Vitale have all made controversial statements in the past. None have been afraid to face a coach and/or fans for what they have said.
Knight is just a typical bully. He likes to have everything his way and if not, he goes running for cover until he can find another fight he can win. Knight knew the Kentucky fans were going to blister his butt and he couldn’t take the heat.
ESPN can make all the scheduling excuses it wants for night, but the bottom line is that he’s just afraid of a confrontation in Rupp Arena that he knows he cannot win.
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Since Knight won’t show up, let him know what you think about him not coming. Post your thoughts here and I’ll forward them to ESPN to let the network know what UK fans think about Knight’s move.
Posted in UK Basketball
I can not stand to listen to BK do games on ESPN. He continually states what the coaches should be doing like he still is relevant in the game. The game has clearly passed him by yet he belittles the decisions of coaches that could coach circles around him today. It’s like me telling my teenage kid how he should be using facebook.
As for Vitale, Davis, Bilas; you do promos and talks about passion and then criticize UK fans for having it. Hippocrits.
Come on ESPN Is Bobby Knight the best you can do for game analysis?…Really?….World wide laeder? He is about as entertaining as grass growing. At least grass is relevant.
Steve, I had forgot Vitale doing that and as much as I like him, you are right about that.
KyJones, very good post
Paul, I am with you. I Heard him doing a game the other night and it bored me to death
The folks in Indiana have a hard time getting anything right. First they did not bury the jerk deep enough, and they did not bury him upside down.
His presence on ESPN broadcasts is not a positive for 90% of the basketball fans in the country, and I believe there are plenty of quality announcers and analysts that could fill his shoes in a heart beat, and do a better job.
Thanks Larry V. for publishing what many of us would like to have said, either in print or to the face of Bobby Bully.
no problem dan
I’m actually glad he’s not coming. I dislike the man as much as any figure in any sport, but I would seriously fear that one of our Kentucky Crazies would do something seriously bad to him if he showed up in Rupp this season. I really do. Not just tomatoes or drink cups.
I’d hate to see our program get another black mark because of Knight; he’s not worth it to us. Leave him at home please, ESPN.