Pat Knight took on impossible task

Bob Knight must have been a fine father to produce a son like Patrick Knight, but he made at least one mistake as a parent: He arranged to have Pat succeed him as Texas Tech head coach.

The one job no one ever should want is to follow Bob Knight. The standard he set with his teaching ability, his gift for motivating, his genius for the profession -- it was so high as to be nearly impossible to meet. For the successor to be his son only amplified the difficulty, with Pat?s elevation to head coach carrying the hint, fair or not, of nepotism.

And there?s this: Only Bob Knight could win with Bob Knight?s players.

Pat Knight?s ability to recruit to an already difficult circumstance was compromised by the limited number of talented players eager to play for Bob Knight. Many came to view him as an impediment to an NBA career, or merely as someone whose style and approach did not seem appealing.

When Tony Bennett left a sweet position at Wisconsin, where he was a rising star, to become coach-in-waiting under his father Dick at Washington State, I asked why he would take such a risk, join such a seemingly dead-end program. He found the opportunity to work with his father irresistible. Bennett made it work, though, by recruiting such players as Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver and turning their excellence into a Sweet 16 appearance in 2008 (and eventually a job at Virginia).

Perhaps the years Pat Knight spent working with his father made him a better coach. Perhaps his experience as a head coaching, during which he compiled a 50-60 record, taught him what not to do next time around, in the same way as Steve Lavin has addressed what he learned from his tenure at UCLA.

It?s tempting to wonder, though, where Knight might be had he used his father?s connections to land an attractive assistant?s position elsewhere. He is bright. He is dynamic. He is confident and he is personable. He is not his father, but no one is, and that?s true in the good ways, as well.

Following Tech?s loss to Colorado, Pat Knight declared he had ?proven? he was an effective coach and that if Tech didn?t want him, someone would. There are only a few jobs open now, but the school that lands him will be fortunate. He might want to choose more carefully this time.

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