-I don't think any coach in history has saved more time-outs than I have, in the interest of making my team more self-reliant.
-I've always had an ass-to-the-brain theory: when a player's ass gets put on the bench, a message goes straight from the ass to the brain saying: get me off of here.
-I did not want to negotiate and hassle: tell me the highest you can go, and let me make a decision.
-We met every morning and every night to discuss players: who had played well, who hadn't, and who we should look at and keep. (Olympics 84)
-If you don't think you are the best prepared for a basketball game you have ever been, I want you to tell me about it, because we have to do something to make sure that you are.
-I took a picture of his gold medal and I gave each of them a 3x5 and a 8x10 photograph, one for their pockets and another to be put above their beds.
-You are going to be the leader on this team, you are the best player, so I will expect more from you and demand more from you. But I will probably at times get on you when you don't deserve it. I am simply giving everybody else a message.
-Whenever I have had guys who could score, they have scored. And I have wanted the other guys on my teams to understand part of their job was to make that happen.
-There were a lot of times that night when I felt tears welling up and I was genuinely close to letting them go, certainly when our kids were standing up there on he medal stand, wearing their gold medals, while the national anthem played and the American flag went up in their honor.
-The possibility of losing is what makes winning mean something.
-I had gotten tired of wearing a good dress shirt, tie and coat. Who the hell were you fooling? I have worn a golf shirt and a sweater ever since.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Knight. My story. By Bob Knight. Quotes VI
-I have always had people come in and talk to my teams. I wanted them to hear from successful people their thoughts on why they were successful and what it took to be successful.
-Coach, don't officiate.
-Both knew how to play.
-Knowing when to quit is a rarity.
-I never drank. I never took a puff on a cigarette, ever. I am so unalterably opposed to those things that it's hard for me to accept people in athletics smoking, drinking, or using drugs.
-I judge too many situations by what I would do, forgetting that not everybody is going to do what I do, or react the way I'd react, which my wife Karen says is probably a real plus for the whole world.
-I told them if anybody lied to me, he was gone.
-Like all really good teams, they were well put together and very well coached.
-My practices are quiet. That's my classroom, where I do my teaching.
-Coach, don't officiate.
-Both knew how to play.
-Knowing when to quit is a rarity.
-I never drank. I never took a puff on a cigarette, ever. I am so unalterably opposed to those things that it's hard for me to accept people in athletics smoking, drinking, or using drugs.
-I judge too many situations by what I would do, forgetting that not everybody is going to do what I do, or react the way I'd react, which my wife Karen says is probably a real plus for the whole world.
-I told them if anybody lied to me, he was gone.
-Like all really good teams, they were well put together and very well coached.
-My practices are quiet. That's my classroom, where I do my teaching.
Knight. My story. By Bob Knight. Quotes V
-I was always kind of scared: I just wanted my team play well. From a coaching standpoint, the greatest fear I've ever had is that in some way I might not have prepared my team as well as I could have. I am always afraid I have left something out, or overlooked something. If you have done that, you have shortchanged your players. They are not as well prepared as they should be.
-Our bus when we were on the way to a game was always quiet. I wanted it that way, not tense, but quiet, everyone thinking about the game.
-We did not have much of an offensive break. We would run on a steal or if we had real positive numbers on a break: two on one; three on one; three on two.
-I wanted short (no more than 4 meters) outlet passes, unless somebody ahead was wide open. The most important thing in the break it to get there with the ball, and then work to get a good shot.
-We loved playing motion.
-I never held back anything we did when I spoke at clinics.
-They could count as high as the number of passes I wanted before they shot (four).
-I felt we had to play our best shooter at the top of the key.
-The objective was not to win, was not to lose a game. The only way we will lose is when we have ourselves to blame.
-When someone is willing to go a little out of their way, or a lot out of their way to do something for anyone, that is a great mark for that person in my eyes.
-Our bus when we were on the way to a game was always quiet. I wanted it that way, not tense, but quiet, everyone thinking about the game.
-We did not have much of an offensive break. We would run on a steal or if we had real positive numbers on a break: two on one; three on one; three on two.
-I wanted short (no more than 4 meters) outlet passes, unless somebody ahead was wide open. The most important thing in the break it to get there with the ball, and then work to get a good shot.
-We loved playing motion.
-I never held back anything we did when I spoke at clinics.
-They could count as high as the number of passes I wanted before they shot (four).
-I felt we had to play our best shooter at the top of the key.
-The objective was not to win, was not to lose a game. The only way we will lose is when we have ourselves to blame.
-When someone is willing to go a little out of their way, or a lot out of their way to do something for anyone, that is a great mark for that person in my eyes.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Knight. My story. By Bob Knight. Quotes IV
-Of all the great things my mom did for me, nothing was better than making me be a reader.
-You don't have to score to be a good basketball player.
-Let the bench guys play whenever you can.
-I have changed starting lineups maybe more than any coach in basketball usually as a reward for a kid for what he did in practice or for his play in a game.
-How gracious great veteran coaches could be.
-I don't want to take anything away from the other team's accomplishment, and I don't want our team grasping at excuses.
-A lot of coaches know X's and O's but don't see things well.
-The first thing you have to have in coaching or anything else is a confidence in your ability to do the job.
-I felt that utilizing deception and being unpredictable, unrecognizable, and difficult to scout were instrumental in offensive success. I have always wanted the cutter to have options. So if the defense does one thing, the cutter can do another thing. It is not something that just goes one, two, three, four. In basketball, if you run a set play, a smart defense doesn't have to react to what you are doing, they can do something prior to your move, because they know the movement as well as the offense does.
-Princeton played with keys: if the passer went inside, that was one thing; if he cut to the bucket, it was another thing. I tried to incorporate that in Indiana but almost exclusively on reading the defense and the position of the ball.
-Spacing is one of the two keys to utilization of the court in offensive play. The second is floor balance, keeping players in positions that maintain an ability to attack both sides of the floor.
-We spent a lot of October practicing four on four and five on five without allowing a dribble.
-The only obligation you have to your players is that they know your are starting the best lineup you have.
-You don't have to score to be a good basketball player.
-Let the bench guys play whenever you can.
-I have changed starting lineups maybe more than any coach in basketball usually as a reward for a kid for what he did in practice or for his play in a game.
-How gracious great veteran coaches could be.
-I don't want to take anything away from the other team's accomplishment, and I don't want our team grasping at excuses.
-A lot of coaches know X's and O's but don't see things well.
-The first thing you have to have in coaching or anything else is a confidence in your ability to do the job.
-I felt that utilizing deception and being unpredictable, unrecognizable, and difficult to scout were instrumental in offensive success. I have always wanted the cutter to have options. So if the defense does one thing, the cutter can do another thing. It is not something that just goes one, two, three, four. In basketball, if you run a set play, a smart defense doesn't have to react to what you are doing, they can do something prior to your move, because they know the movement as well as the offense does.
-Princeton played with keys: if the passer went inside, that was one thing; if he cut to the bucket, it was another thing. I tried to incorporate that in Indiana but almost exclusively on reading the defense and the position of the ball.
-Spacing is one of the two keys to utilization of the court in offensive play. The second is floor balance, keeping players in positions that maintain an ability to attack both sides of the floor.
-We spent a lot of October practicing four on four and five on five without allowing a dribble.
-The only obligation you have to your players is that they know your are starting the best lineup you have.
Knight. My story. By Bob Knight. Quotes III
-Our defensive rules are based on each player's knowing where the ball is and trying to keep it from going where we don't want it to go.
-A combination of the two types of defense man to man and zone, within the same possession could be very good.
-When we are playing against a really good shooter, we don't help from him at all. (The player who is with him, doesn't go to help anybody else)
-The team preparation facet of coaching is based on figuring out two basic things: how to stop somebody and how could we score on that opponent. It's a matter of having a sound fundamental base. On offense, your players don't take bad shots. They don't throw the ball away. They move without the ball. They help each other get open. On defense, your teams don't give up easy points on conversion, on fast breaks. They don't commit bad fouls and they have to control the lane, and know where the ball is at all times.
-The mental is to the physical as four is to one. And one thing more almost supersedes everything else: enthusiasm.
-Offensively, if it is a pressuring man to man we have to take the ball to the bucket: catch the ball, face, fake and drive. Do that, do it well, and you will be on the foul line. Almost invariably.
-My job is to get us to play as well as we can as often as we can. More than anything else, that's what I have to do and it will have a direct carry over to whatever each kid winds up doing in life.
-It is much better to make things happen than wait for things to happen.
-If you are going to accept pay for something, do it right.
-If you can't pay for it, do without until you can. The only time my dad ever owed a cent was when he took a twenty years mortgage. He gave up everything he liked to do and paid off the mortgage in over four years. He is the most honest man I have ever known.
-A combination of the two types of defense man to man and zone, within the same possession could be very good.
-When we are playing against a really good shooter, we don't help from him at all. (The player who is with him, doesn't go to help anybody else)
-The team preparation facet of coaching is based on figuring out two basic things: how to stop somebody and how could we score on that opponent. It's a matter of having a sound fundamental base. On offense, your players don't take bad shots. They don't throw the ball away. They move without the ball. They help each other get open. On defense, your teams don't give up easy points on conversion, on fast breaks. They don't commit bad fouls and they have to control the lane, and know where the ball is at all times.
-The mental is to the physical as four is to one. And one thing more almost supersedes everything else: enthusiasm.
-Offensively, if it is a pressuring man to man we have to take the ball to the bucket: catch the ball, face, fake and drive. Do that, do it well, and you will be on the foul line. Almost invariably.
-My job is to get us to play as well as we can as often as we can. More than anything else, that's what I have to do and it will have a direct carry over to whatever each kid winds up doing in life.
-It is much better to make things happen than wait for things to happen.
-If you are going to accept pay for something, do it right.
-If you can't pay for it, do without until you can. The only time my dad ever owed a cent was when he took a twenty years mortgage. He gave up everything he liked to do and paid off the mortgage in over four years. He is the most honest man I have ever known.
Knight. My story. By Bob Knight. Quotes II
-Get your players understand not just that something works, but why.
-I have to understand the strengths and the weaknesses of every player who plays for me.
-Play to your strengths and away from your weaknesses.
-Great players maximize their talent and make everybody around them better. It is no accident that they do this. They understand the game, and they understand the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates and their opponent. That comes from thinking. There is nothing more important that a basketball player can do. Above else, think.
-Think about those things that you don't like to play against. Then, do them yourself at both ends of the floor.
-I use the word 'understand' often. I want my players to understand why teams lose: poor shot selection, bad passing, failure to block out defensively, lack of pressure on the ball.
-To me, concentration is basketball in a nutshell. Concentration leads to anticipation, which leads to recognition, which leads to reaction, which leads to execution.
-I am a great believer in understanding what goes into losing, because if we know how we can lose, if we know those factors or reasons that cause us to lose, and we eliminate those things, we stand a much better chance of winning.
-We play our game with our own additional rules, my rules on how I want the game played.
-I have to understand the strengths and the weaknesses of every player who plays for me.
-Play to your strengths and away from your weaknesses.
-Great players maximize their talent and make everybody around them better. It is no accident that they do this. They understand the game, and they understand the strengths and weaknesses of their teammates and their opponent. That comes from thinking. There is nothing more important that a basketball player can do. Above else, think.
-Think about those things that you don't like to play against. Then, do them yourself at both ends of the floor.
-I use the word 'understand' often. I want my players to understand why teams lose: poor shot selection, bad passing, failure to block out defensively, lack of pressure on the ball.
-To me, concentration is basketball in a nutshell. Concentration leads to anticipation, which leads to recognition, which leads to reaction, which leads to execution.
-I am a great believer in understanding what goes into losing, because if we know how we can lose, if we know those factors or reasons that cause us to lose, and we eliminate those things, we stand a much better chance of winning.
-We play our game with our own additional rules, my rules on how I want the game played.
Knight. My story. By Bob Knight. Quotes
-I was told by Brand in May that I could stay on as a coach under what the president called 'zero tolerance'. Obviously, I should have quit right there.
-But quitting is a hard thing for me to do, and it became all the harder because I let myself get soft. I was just too comfortable in the life I had created for myself in a town that had been special to me.
-My thoughts on coaching came from my own studying and experimenting, and from discussions with coaches and phone calls I made over the years in search of answers and ideas about basketball.
-The first time I really got to know Coach Lapchick was a significant moment in my coaching career. I asked him if I could sit down and talk with him sometime. He game me his home address, which I have never forgotten: 3 Wendover Lane in Yorkers.
-My cornerstones:
1. If you worry whether people like you or not, you can never make tough decisions correctly.
2. The very first thing you had to be was a teacher, and you had to teach kids how to play basketball.
3. Make sure your best players are in their absolute best roles. Then use supplementary players in just that, supplementary roles.
4. An appreciation of basketball of something never to be mastered but always, every day of every year, to be studied with an unflagging zeal for answers and a duty to pass them on.
5. An unyielding, untiring passion for teaching kids to understand the game of basketball and carry this understanding and sense of commitment into all walks of life.
-Playing smart is a function of positioning, of placement, of recognition.
-But quitting is a hard thing for me to do, and it became all the harder because I let myself get soft. I was just too comfortable in the life I had created for myself in a town that had been special to me.
-My thoughts on coaching came from my own studying and experimenting, and from discussions with coaches and phone calls I made over the years in search of answers and ideas about basketball.
-The first time I really got to know Coach Lapchick was a significant moment in my coaching career. I asked him if I could sit down and talk with him sometime. He game me his home address, which I have never forgotten: 3 Wendover Lane in Yorkers.
-My cornerstones:
1. If you worry whether people like you or not, you can never make tough decisions correctly.
2. The very first thing you had to be was a teacher, and you had to teach kids how to play basketball.
3. Make sure your best players are in their absolute best roles. Then use supplementary players in just that, supplementary roles.
4. An appreciation of basketball of something never to be mastered but always, every day of every year, to be studied with an unflagging zeal for answers and a duty to pass them on.
5. An unyielding, untiring passion for teaching kids to understand the game of basketball and carry this understanding and sense of commitment into all walks of life.
-Playing smart is a function of positioning, of placement, of recognition.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
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