Cold weather and a day with Knight - memorable, to say the least

Again, I haven’t been able to do this blog for a couple of days. There’s just too much going on right now between staying in Greenville and going down to Hartwell Lake and practicing.

But I appreciate the nice comments. And, honestly, on the shoes I just go for what’s comfortable. And red. I’ve got a dozen or so pair of shoes and I rotate them. They’re all different brands. I just look for comfort, something that lets me move around and stay on my feet.

Well, if you follow the Classic you probably know what’s going on here. Rain, cold weather, a chance of sleet. … Hartwell Lake  hasn’t had any rain to speak of in what seems like a year, and we got enough this week to raise the lake level a foot and a half and mess up some great shallow fishing holes. … I had a spot. Man, did I have a great spot. Fish on top of fish. But it’s gone now. Nothing but a muddy, empty creek.

Oh, well, you take what the weather gives you. And to be honest, I’ve still got places to fish. But this is going to change things. It’s really going to hurt the shallow bite, but the deepwater guys are going to do well now. … No matter, it looks like we’re going to be out in our boats in a lot of cold weather with wind and rain. It ought to be quite a day on Friday. The anglers against the fish and the elements.

Other than the weather, it’s been a good Classic week. Greenville is doing a great job hosting this thing. And ESPN is really into the coverage this year. We got a chance today to see the commercials ESPN put together after Bobby Knight spent time with Timmy Horton, Gerald Swindle and me. Man, what a day that was. I’d  have to say, Bobby Knight’s just a commanding in person as he is on TV. … No, I take that back. He’s more, way more commanding.

When I was asked to go to Lubbock, Texas to film this commercial, I was ready. I had an idea what we were getting into, but I didn’t want to miss this chance. And here’s what happened.

Bobby Knight talked to us, the three of us in chairs in front of him. He just talked to us, and he knew his stuff. He knew his stuff. He knew things about all three of us. He gave Timmy hell about his long hair. And he talked to Gerald awhile about being so good and never finishing first in a tournament. … He actually went kind of easy on me. He looked at my shoes and asked me if I always wear those read shoes. I said, “Yessir, I think they might be lucky.” He stared at the shoes and at me and said, “Well, to tell you the truth I kind of like them.”

The main thing I remember is that when he talked, we listened. I mean, you don’t talk when he’s talking.

After he did his thing, he took us on a tour around the athletic complex. He was like Moses parting the waters when he walked the halls. People just moved out of the way when we came through. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.

He also gave us shooting lessons. Man, we were bad. My three-point shot was awful, but Timmy and Gerald weren’t much better.

Then a few days after we left, he resigned. I don’t know what to think about that.