Just as he did last season, Pat Knight often calls his father, Bob, and asks for coaching advice regarding his Texas Tech basketball team.
The difference is that, this year, he actually gets a response.
Sometimes in person.
After keeping his distance from Red Raiders’ athletic facilities last season, Bob Knight now makes regular appearances at Texas Tech’s workouts to watch his son, who took over the program when Bob retired with 11 games remaining in the 2007-08 season.
Most times, Bob leaves the coaching up to the Red Raiders’ staff – but he doesn’t hesitate to offer Pat a pointer or two when asked.
“It’s good to have him around again,” Pat said. “For awhile he didn’t want to be involved at all.”
That, more than anything, is what made Pat’s first full season as a Division I head coach so maddening.
The 14-19 record stung and the 11th place Big 12 finish was disappointing. None of it, though, compared to the problems he was having behind the scenes with his legendary father, a Hall of Famer whose 902 victories are more than any coach in history.
“We didn’t speak a lot last year,” Pat Knight said. “And when we did talk it wasn’t like it should be. The whole situation really caused a strain on our relationship. It was strange. Neither one of us knew how to handle it.”
The biggest problem, Pat said, was that people were constantly comparing him to his father. For instance, he said he was criticized for using the video board and loud music as a prop during pregame introductions at the United Spirit Arena.
“My dad just kept it simple, with the announcer just reading the starters’ names,” Pat said. “I didn’t see anything wrong with making things a little more exciting, but when I did, people said I was being disrespectful toward my dad.”
Pat said he heard the similar comments when his guards would push the ball up the floor at a fast pace instead of bringing it up slowly, like Texas Tech teams of the past.
“People were talking behind my back – including some people I thought were my friends,” Pat said. “Instead of minding their own business, some of them griped that I didn’t do everything the same way my dad did it. They should’ve kept quiet instead of trying to cause rifts.”
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what ended up happening. Rather than discuss the criticism he was receiving with his father, Pat said the two of them became distant and rarely talked.
As if coaching his first full season of Division I basketball wasn’t taxing enough.
Things got so aggravating at one point that Pat sought the advice of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who lists Pat’s father as one of his greatest influences.
“I called him and he just said, ‘Be patient, everything will work itself out,’” Pat said. “He was right. It did.”
At the conclusion of last season, Pat said he and his father had a lengthy conversation and aired out all of their grievances. Bob told Pat that he was trying to allow space so his son could “do his own thing.” Pat, though, told his father that he wanted him around more and that his suggestions were not only welcomed, but encouraged.
“By the end [of the talk] we had put it all behind us,” Pat said. “Now we’re hanging out again. He’s helping me. We’re getting along as well as we have since I stopped playing.
“He’s actually been at our last three practices.”
Bob Knight has to like what he’s seen.
Point guard John Roberson is back after leading the Big 12 in assists last season, and forward Mike Singletary – who struck for 43 points in a Big 12 Tournament victory over Texas A&M last spring – is expected to be one of the conference’s breakthrough players.
Mix in a five-man recruiting class that includes the top-ranked player in New Mexico (Jaye Crockett), the fifth-ranked player in Texas (Mike Davis) and three junior college transfers (David Tairu, Brad Reese and Theron Jenkins) who Knight said are all good enough to start, and it’s clear that Texas Tech has legitimate postseason hopes.
Pat said his team is deep enough to play 11 or 12 players.
The Red Raiders were picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 in a poll of league coaches. But Pat said that, after Kansas and Texas, the conference is “wide open.” His players agree.
“I’m glad people are sleeping on us,” Roberson said. “It’ll be fun if we can catch teams by surprise.”
That happened last season when Texas Tech defeated Kansas in Lubbock. One week later it upset Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament. Of the nine losses Texas Tech suffered in the final week of the regular season, five were by 10 points or less.
“A lot teams would’ve packed it in,” Pat said. “But we were in most every game. We were competitive as hell. That makes me really excited for this season. Hopefully things are a lot different.”
On the court.
And off of it, too.
