Thank you for taking the time to share these interesting thoughts. I always have to keep reminding myself of the different reality the majority of IU fans today have, not having followed IU basketball during these glory years, when to me, as an IU junior student Bob's first year, it seems like only a day or two before yesterday. Bob Knight's personality, love him or hate him, made college basketball fun for everyone. That's why opposing arena's around the country sold out when "Bob Knight" was coming to town. Younger fans today don't seem to appreciate hearing the stories of "BK Theater" like the old timers do. They can't seem to get past the arrogant bully persona bestowed upon him by his detractors in "woke-ness".
I remember the Russian exhibition game well. I was there for the game with some of my older relatives who drove down from Ft. Wayne that morning. It was one of the rare times they saw IU live in AH and they were so excited for the event. We were all disappointed in the abrupt ending before halftime. It soured the day, I must say.
Let history never forget....(Zack Ostermann news article for 20th anniversary)
Harvey, speaking to the Indiana Daily Student in September 2000: “My intentions were to say, ‘Hi, Mr. Knight.’ It came out wrong. I said ‘Knight.’ The whole incident happened because I forgot to say ‘mister.’”
The story has been told different ways in the years since. What’s agreed upon is that Harvey greeted Knight, then Knight stopped Harvey to chastise him for a perceived lack of respect.
From there, stories diverged. Harvey’s brother said Knight grabbed Kent Harvey forcefully by his arm and loudly cursed, demanding more respect. Speaking in his defense during a news conference that Friday, Knight described the episode differently.
Knight, in a Sept. 9, 2000, IndyStar article: "I looked at him and said, ‘Son, my name isn’t Knight for you. It’s Mr. Knight or coach Knight.'"
Both Knight and assistant coach Mike Davis, who reportedly witnessed the incident, disputed Harvey’s account of the incident, particularly with regard to the nature of physical contact between the pair. In that same news conference, Davis called Harvey’s story “the biggest lie I ever heard in my life.”
Knight, in a Sept. 9, 2000, IndyStar article: “I would have to be an absolute moron, with the things that have been laid down on me, to grab a kid in public and curse a kid in public. That is absolutely, totally untrue.”
The story spread, fueled in part by Mark Shaw, a one-time Bloomington radio host and Knight critic. Shaw was also Harvey’s stepfather.
He contacted IndyStar the next day to report the incident.
Mark Shaw, Terry Clapacs, Kent Harvey, Miles Brand, Ron Felling, Murray Sperber...all names that will remain in infamy within the annals of IU basketball.