Ohio State basketball: The complicated life of Bob Knight

Former Ohio State basketball player Bob Knight passed away yesterday at the age of 83. He is best known for coaching Indiana for parts of four decades and winning three national championships. He also played on the Ohio State basketball team before all of that.

As we remember Knight and his life, it’s known that his legacy is a complicated one. On one hand, he is a coaching legend that IU fans will love forever. On the other hand, he got dismissed from the program due to physical abuse of a player that was caught on camera.

Knight learned basketball while playing for Fred Taylor at Ohio State. He used the principles that he learned as a Buckeye to shape his coaching style. He Would go on to coach at Army before getting the job with the Hoosiers. He also coached at Texas Tech too.

How Knight will be remembered depends on what you value. If you care about how players and coaches win games and championships and nothing else matters, then you will remember Knight fondly. Most Ohio State Buckeyes don’t remember Knight’s playing days though.

Most Buckeye fans will remember Knight as a coach who beat them a lot and didn’t treat his players well. Yet, those same players will say they respected him for coaching them hard. It’s a complicated legacy to leave as a basketball coach and as a human being.

As for how I will remember Knight, I’ll remember him as someone that everyone in my home state loved. Being from Indiana, IU basketball is king. Everyone loved Bobby Knight, even after he got fired. I’ll also remember him as being too fiery for his own good sometimes.

No matter how you remember him, he will always be a Buckeye. He will be missed by many.