The Philosopher Knight

Winning the national basketball championship this year means more than just a title, a trophy and the right to chant "We're No. 1!" It is the opportunity to start a new dynasty. With former U.C.L.A. Coach John Wooden in retirement and his once-invincible Bruins now playing like mortals, a kingdom is up for grabs.

In the N.C.A.A. tournament that began last weekend, there is an abundance of possibilities besides fifth-ranked U.C.L.A. Marquette, in Wisconsin, and Alabama both look strong, and late-blooming Virginia knocked off three of the top teams in the country en route to its upset triumph in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament earlier this month. The East has undefeated Rutgers entered in the lists. But no team seems readier for the March 29 finals than the Hoosiers of Indiana, ranked No. 1 in the nation, undefeated in 56 consecutive regular season games and, above all, coached by Bobby Knight.

In a sport full of men who fiercely want to win, Knight, 35, manages to make his desire seem stronger and deeper than anyone else's. When his team is ahead by 30 points and the reserves are in, Knight exhorts at them as if the score were tied in overtime. During a recently televised game against Michigan, he became so disturbed by some bad passes his guard Jim Wisman made that he grabbed Wisman by his jersey and hauled him off the court. If a referee's call goes against Indiana, Knight sometimes succumbs to his hot temper and starts kicking the nearest chair. Even when he goes fishing, the Scoreboard stays lit. If he casts ten times and catches three fish, he will say good naturedly that the fish won, 7-3.

Sixth Man. On the court, his team reflects his intensity, sometimes to a fault. Early this season Knight realized his players were so worried about making mistakes that they were no longer performing well; he offered some praise, and the Hoosiers' playing quickly improved. But discipline--lots of it--is the essence of Knight's coaching style. "I tell them," Knight says, "that wherever you start life, there will be others above you. Get used to it now."

Some followers of the sport compare this year's Hoosier team to the greatest college squads of the past, including the 1960 Ohio State national championship team that Knight played on as a sophomore (he was the sixth man) with Teammates Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek. Indiana Forward Scott May (6 ft. 7 in.) and Center Kent Benson (6 ft. 11 in.) are both All-America; Forward Tom Abernethy (6 ft. 7 in.) and Guard Bobby Wilkerson (6 ft. 7 in.) are both outstanding on defense; and when powerful Guard Quinn Buckner (6 ft. 3 in.) runs onto the home court the Indiana band strikes up The Mighty Quinn.

Knight's tactics are uncomplicated but demand precise execution. "Other coaches teach various patterns on offense and zones on defense," explains Boston Celtic General Manager Red Auerbach, a longtime follower of Knight's career. "He stresses fundamentals." On offense, Knight's players use a crisp, probing, passing attack, and set up high percentage shots behind Center Benson's solid screens. On defense, the heart of the Knight strategy, his players keep constant pressure on the ball by playing man to man. They cut off passing lanes to prevent close-in baskets, and they never lose track of where the ball is. While many coaches direct an attack aimed at an opponent's vulnerable spots, Knight does the opposite:

"Shut off an opponent's strength and don't screw around with their weaknesses," he advises. "The game of basketball is a game of mistakes. The team that plays least poorly will win."

Knight has been thinking about coaching since he was a high school player in Orrville, Ohio. It did not take him long to satisfy his ambition. At 24, he took over as head coach at West Point with a total of three years of experience. Though Army is hardly a basketball power, Knight's teams won 102 games, lost 50 and played in four National Invitational Tournaments in six years. In 1971, he went on to Indiana, where he has won four straight Big Ten titles.

But he does not see himself as another John Wooden, coaching until he is 65. Beneath the combative exterior of Bobby Knight, a philosopher is struggling to get out and solve larger problems. Politics fascinates him, as favorite books, such as Allen Drury's novels and David Halberstam's The Best and the Brightest, reflect. His reading appetite also extends to Conan Doyle and Ross MacDonald--who deal, not coincidentally, with puzzles and answers.

"Basketball doesn't matter that much," Knight says. "There is more appreciation in my mind for the discoverer of the cure for yellow fever than for a fellow who averages 30 points a game." Other heroes are Harry Truman and Vince Lombardi, who would have made a great President in Knight's opinion. In fact, some even say that Knight himself should consider politics one day. That is, if he doesn't have his hands full running a basketball dynasty.

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