Bob Knight has to wait till '07 to break Smith's record...

Originally Posted by ESPN

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Steve Alford, John Havlicek, Jerry Tarkanian and Fuzzy Zoeller traveled to cotton country to see Bob Knight make history.

If they don't mind sticking around a few days, they can watch him try again.

Knight's Texas Tech team fell behind UNLV early and never recovered, losing 74-66 Thursday night to leave him tied with Dean Smith atop the men's Division I win list.

Knight's next chance for No. 880 will come Monday at home against New Mexico. History is on his side: He's never needed more than two tries to hit milestones such as 300, 400, 600, 700 and 800.

Just to be safe -- and to be crusty, cranky Bob Knight -- he told his buddies "they might have to stay here three weeks."

"That would be a boon to the economy," said Knight, who is in his sixth season living in Lubbock, the hub of the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world.

About 30 of Knight's cronies showed up, ranging from Ohio State teammates such as Havlicek to former players at Army and Indiana, like Alford.

"I was really tickled," Knight said. "They are people I've known for a long time, and it's nice they keep track of [the record]. But it's not like a record in the Masters or breaking Babe Ruth's record."

Even before the game, Knight was making contingency plans.

"He told me in the locker room, 'Now, if I don't win tonight, you going to come back on the 1st?'" said Alford, the coach at Iowa. "We don't play on the 1st, so I'll do my best."

Anticipation that Knight would break the record on his first try drew a crowd of 15,098, one of the largest in school history.

The usually staid fans were into it from the start, giving Knight a standing ovation when he emerged before the game, with some chanting "Bob-by!" Three students painted their bodies red and spelled out 8-8-0 in black on their chests. Another fan summed up Knight's mood toward the inevitable accomplishment with a sign that read, "Let's get this over with," quotes and all.

But Knight's motion offense and man-to-man defense both let him down.

Tech (10-4) came in as the nation's most-accurate 3-point shooting team, but made only one of 12. UNLV (12-2) was 11-of-25 from behind the arc.

The Red Raiders were on the wrong end of a 13-2 run and trailed 32-23 at halftime. Their deficit peaked at 19 almost midway through the second half, prompting hundreds of fans to start leaving before Knight's club made a pretty good comeback, one aided by UNLV failing to make a basket over the last 6:21.

Tech got to 66-55 on a layup by Jay Jackson with 3:54 left when Knight drew his first technical of the season. It seemed like he was arguing a non-call, but he said it was problems with the ensuing inbounds pass that set him off.

"I thought they stepped over the line twice -- once when they threw it in and once when the guy caught it," Knight said, laughing and adding: "I [also] thought Jackson had been fouled on the play, but that wasn't my comment."

The Red Raiders eventually got to 68-62 with 1:38 to go, but the Runnin' Rebels protected their lead by making six straight foul shots.

"We used a lot of really good energy at a time when we should've been tired," Knight said. "Where was our energy earlier?"

Led by former NBA coach Lon Kruger, who improved to 8-2 against Knight, the Runnin' Rebels obviously didn't want to be first-hand witnesses to history. Every big basket or exciting play was punctuated by guys jumping up off the bench, high-fiving and spinning around, as if this was an NCAA tournament game.

"I'm very happy for him," Kruger said of Knight's pending accomplishment, "yet I'm not displeased that we delayed the celebration for at least a game or two."

The Rebels, who won their eighth straight, were making only a third of their 3s coming in and were 4-of-18 in their last game, but their game plan was based around the long ball. Five of their first seven baskets were 3s and they didn't even go to the foul line until there was 8:13 left in the game.

By then, several hundred fans already had made their way to the exits.

Many could be back Monday thanks to Project 880, a ticket-selling gimmick aimed at filling parts of the arena that usually go unsold, especially while school is out for winter break. That's one of the few things that bothers Knight about Tech, where he's in his sixth season after being fired by Indiana following three national championships in 29 years.

Instead of his 880th win, Knight took his 354th loss in 41 seasons. Tech had won four straight games and six of seven.

Martin Zeno led Tech with 22 points and Jackson, who was 1-of-6 on 3s, had 20.

Kevin Kruger led UNLV with 21 points. Wendell White and Curtis Terry each scored 12 points.

Originally Posted by ESPN

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Bob Knight won 880 games doing things his way. And he sure celebrated it his way.

Long appreciated for his strategy and long questioned for his methods, Knight added the crowning achievement to his Hall of Fame career by becoming the leader in Division I men's basketball victories when Texas Tech beat New Mexico 70-68 on Monday.


Having finally reached the pinnacle he's long insisted didn't matter, Knight proved otherwise by soaking in every moment of the party that followed -- especially the soundtrack.

"I've always thought that if there's ever an occasion for a song to be played on my behalf, I wanted it to be Frank Sinatra singing 'My Way,'" said Knight, whose usually glaring facade showed hints of cracking during the outpouring of emotions.

"I don't expect you people to have agreed with what I've done -- and, if I did [care], I would have asked your opinion. And I have never asked the opinions of very many. I've simply tried to do what I think is best in the way that I think you have to do it. I think I've put myself out on a limb at times, knowingly, simply because I thought what I was going to do or say was the best way to get this kid to be the best player or the best student."

Knight has been a college coach for 41 of his 66 years, having broken in at Army and made his mark by winning three national titles in 29 years at Indiana. Fired by Indiana after administrators could no longer tolerate his behavior, he resurfaced at this college basketball outpost in 2001 and has guided the Red Raiders to unprecedented heights.

He's a complex package, someone who can hit a policeman, throw a chair across the court or be accused of wrapping his hands around a player's neck, yet never gets in trouble for breaking NCAA rules, always has high a graduation rate and gave his salary back a few years ago because he didn't think he'd earned it.

All facets of Knight's personality were on display during a half-hour postgame ceremony and the nearly 20-minute soliloquy he gave instead of a news conference.

He lovingly singled out a player whose hustle helped pull out this victory, which wasn't easy; Tech blew a 20-point lead and trailed by four points with 6:25 remaining. The Red Raiders (11-4) finally went back ahead with 2:04 left and managed to hold on.

The first person to congratulate him was his son and successor-to-be, Pat. He later held his two grandsons from his other son, Tim. He introduced his wife and repeatedly thanked her, although he later broke a promise to her by cussing.

"The first 15 minutes of the game was Karen's game plan," he said of his wife, a former high school coach. "The rest of it was mine, unfortunately."

He praised Tech's current chancellor by noting "what an improvement you are" over the predecessor Knight had sparred with at a salad bar. He called his current athletic director one of the best friends he's ever had.

"I've had the chance to work with some really great athletic directors and some really bad ones," he said. "I appreciate what I learned from the bad ones."

He introduced as "our prized student" the player he suspended for academic reasons at the start of the season. He jokingly tapped the chin of the player whose chin he had jerked earlier this season and told all his players, "If you guys still love me after everything I say to you and everything I put you through, that's a hell of a compliment to me."

Not interested in answering reporters' questions, Knight instead went on a trip down memory lane that was filled with anecdotes and name-dropping, from the famous such as Red Auerbach, Pete Newell and Clair Bee to the obscure, such as Jake Pryne, the bus driver at Army when Knight was 24 and the nation's youngest coach.

He seemed close to tears at times. Though none fell, he backed away from the microphone a couple of times while on the court, seemingly unable to speak. His eyes moistened while talking to reporters.

In the coaches' locker room later, Knight was asked whether his emotions got the best of him. Gently rocking his head, with his hands clasped over his hair, he paused and said, "Well, I don't know. Maybe."

Knight summoned an Associated Press reporter after the news conference because he was upset that he'd forgotten to thank Dean Smith, whose record he broke. He also had a parting piece of advice.

"You make damn sure you put Frank Sinatra's song in your article," Knight said.

Earlier, he explained why "My Way" was so fitting.

"I've simply tried to do what I think is best," Knight said. "Regrets? Sure. Just like the song. I have regrets. I wish I could done things better at times. I wish I would have had a better answer, a better way, at times. But just like he said, I did it my way and when I look back on it, I don't think my way was all that bad."

The celebration began with as much relief over the win as the fact Knight got the record on his second try. The game wasn't decided until a long 3-pointer by New Mexico's J.R. Giddens bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Red and black confetti fell and the song played. There were speeches by Knight and administrators, plus videotaped tributes from Smith, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Texas' Rick Barnes, and statements from several NBA coaches who played for Knight. He also received two trophies and the game ball; a banner was unfurled marking this achievement.

"You are the best there's ever been," said Krzyzewski, who played for Knight and served as his assistant. "I'm so glad you've been my mentor, you've been my coach and you've been my friend."

Knight's career record is 880-354. He recently agreed to a contract extension through the 2010-11 season, which doesn't bode well for anyone hoping to break his record. Consider this: Krzyzewski has 765 wins and is 59; he'll be 64 in 2011 and might still be 100 wins behind.

Knight admits the record is a byproduct of longevity. The ultimate standard of college basketball coaching excellence is the 10 national titles won by UCLA's John Wooden, all in a 12-year span.

Also worth noting: Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt has won the most NCAA games, 925; and Harry Statham of NAIA McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., has won the most men's games at a four-year college, 925.

Tony Danridge led New Mexico (11-4) with 17 points and Giddens had 14.

Jay Jackson and Martin Zeno led Tech with 22 points each.

Originally Posted by Mr. Perfect

Meh. Obviously he's a great coach and knows how to win. His graduation rate is always real high, and he's been doing it for seemingly forever. However, I still think it's wrong that he's being considered better than Dean Smith in any regard.