Knight's No. 880 Makes Him No. 1
Texas Tech 70, New Mexico 68
Associated Press
Tuesday, January 2, 2007; Page E02
LUBBOCK, Tex., Jan 1 -- Bob Knight won 880 games doing things his way. And he sure celebrated it his way.
Long appreciated for his strategy and long questioned for his methods, Knight added the crowning achievement to his Hall of Fame career by becoming the leader in Division I men's basketball victories when Texas Tech beat New Mexico, 70-68, on Monday.
  Coach Bob Knight holds grandsons Will Knight, right, and Braden Knight after his latest victory. (By L.m. Otero -- Associated Press) College Tip-Off A number of traditional powers in college basketball feature lineups dotted with freshmen who might have otherwise gone directly to the NBA.
This season's dominant story line will likely be how power conferences respond to the success of smaller leagues in the NCAA tournament.
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Having finally reached the pinnacle he's long insisted didn't matter, Knight proved otherwise by soaking in every moment that followed -- especially the soundtrack. "I've always thought that if there's ever an occasion for a song to be played on my behalf, I wanted it to be Frank Sinatra singing 'My Way,' " Knight said.
"I don't expect you people to have agreed with what I've done -- and, if I did [care], I would have asked your opinion. And I have never asked the opinions of very many. I've simply tried to do what I think is best in the way that I think you have to do it."
Knight has been a college coach for 41 years, having broken in at Army and made his mark by winning three national titles in 29 years at Indiana. Fired by Indiana after administrators could no longer tolerate his behavior, he resurfaced in Lubbock in 2001.
He's a complex man, someone who can throw a chair across the court or be accused of wrapping his hands around a player's neck, yet never gets in trouble for breaking NCAA rules, has a high graduation rate and gave his salary back a few years ago because he didn't think he'd earned it.
All facets of Knight's personality were on display during a postgame ceremony.
He lovingly singled out a player whose hustle helped pull out this victory, which wasn't easy; Texas Tech blew a 20-point lead and trailed by four points with 6 minutes 25 seconds remaining. The Red Raiders (11-4) finally went back ahead with 2:04 left and managed to hold on.
"The first 15 minutes of the game was Karen's game plan," he said of his wife, a former high school coach. "The rest of it was mine, unfortunately."
Knight summoned a reporter after the news conference because he was upset that he'd forgotten to thank Dean Smith, whose record he broke. He also had a parting piece of advice. "You make damn sure you put Frank Sinatra's song in your article," Knight said.
Earlier, he explained why "My Way" was so fitting.
"I've simply tried to do what I think is best," Knight said. "Regrets? Sure. Just like the song. I have regrets. I wish I could have done things better at times. I wish I would have had a better answer, a better way, at times. But just like he said, I did it my way and when I look back on it, I don't think my way was all that bad."
? ALABAMA 70, OKLAHOMA 55: Jermareo Davidson scored 17 points and Richard Hendrix added 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the No. 8 Crimson Tide (13-1) over the visiting Sooners.
Women
Carla Thomas had 16 points and nine rebounds to help No. 11 Vanderbilt (13-1) beat La Salle, 70-59, in Nashville.
