NEWARK, N.J. -- Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti and St. John's Athletic Director Chris Monasch might want to pick up the phone and give Bob Knight a courtesy call.
Pat Knight, Bob's son and head coach at Texas Tech, said his father would consider coaching again and interested schools should give him a ring.
"If I'm St. John's or Rutgers, to me, you gotta be an idiot ... if you're an AD or president, it doesn't hurt to call," Knight told SNY.tv exclusively after his Red Raiders hammered Seton Hall, 87-69, in a first-round NIT game at the Prudential Center.
Knight, 69, is the all-time wins leader in Division I men's basketball with 902 and won three NCAA championships during his tenure at Indiana. He last coached in 2008 at Texas Tech and now serves as an analyst for ESPN.
Pernetti, Rutgers' first-year AD, will reportedly meet with head coach Fred Hill on Wednesday to determine his future. If the school opts to buy him out after four seasons, it would cost approximately $1.5 million. Hill's career mark at Rutgers is 47-77.
The New York Post reported last Thursday that Norm Roberts would be fired from St. John's after the season, but the Johnnies are getting ready to visit Memphis in a first-round NIT game Wednesday night.
Pat Knight said his father still has an itch for the game and didn't retire because he was done with basketball.
"He was just tired," Pat said. "He was tired from everything. But he's got the best basketball mind around. He was just tired, he was worn out and wasn't feeling well. Now he feels great."
The elder Knight still gives coaching clinics and works with Pat's team from time to time.
"To me, I could see him kind of missing that part, the game situation. I wouldn't be surprised if he got back in it [coaching], or I wouldn't be surprised if he kept on doing TV," Pat said.
Still, the younger Knight said interested parties should call.
"Oh yeah, I think so," he said. "All he can do is tell you no. He brings an instant recognition to you. You know you're going to win. I mean, the guy's better than anyone out there."
Pat said his father would need "the right situation" to "come around."
"Once a coach always a coach," he said. "So if something intrigued him, it wouldn't surprise me. He's got more energy than most guys. It has to be a good situation for him, though."
Asked if his father would be able to recruit and feel comfortable in the Northeast, Pat said: "He'd have to hire guys to help him out in this area. You have to get some guys that know the area because no one's better in the home, just sitting with parents and the kids. So that part he'd be great at.
"Just wherever he is, he'd just have to hire people that know the area. But to me, it's a no-brainer. All he can do is say no."
Post on facebook
Fan Comments 
print
email
