In good works comes redemption

That bad boy of basketball coaching, Bob Knight, bounced from Indiana University for his unseemly conduct, has found a new home at Texas Tech. Because his public pronouncements suggest he is still in denial about his unacceptable behavior, we don't have too much hope that he has reformed. This may be his last shot at redemption, however. The eyes of Texas -- and basketball fans everywhere -- will be upon him.
Knight in shining armor: Local reports suggested that more Tech fans showed up for the announcement of Knight's hiring than usually attend the men's basketball games. Just as some people go to auto races for the crashes, there are, no doubt, basketball fans who would go to a Knight-coached game, just to see if he lived up to his chair-hurling, player-punching, invective-laden reputation.
Many of the Tech faculty are not so enthusiastic. Some 100 professors sent a petition to the university's president, David Schmidly, expressing their concern that & quot;having Mr. Knight as the basketball coach at Texas Tech would bring much negative publicity and damage our reputation in ways that are completely unnecessary. & quot;
But given the excitement attendant on the announcement of the new Red Raider coach at a press conference held in Lubbock, Texas, last week, it's unlikely that the rabid fans of West Texas are dissimilar from the rabid fans in Bloomington, Indiana, who were ready to string up Indiana University President Myles Brand for daring to fire the most popular man in the Hoosier State since Dan Quayle -- or maybe Dave Letterman.
Credibility: In fact, Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers, an old friend of Knight's, said that his new coach would give the team instant national credibility. This season, Tech's record was 9-19.
His notorious temper notwithstanding, Knight has earned high marks for graduating most of his players and running a clean program. For the sake of his future and that of his players, he'd be wise to keep the focus on such achievements.