Knight : My Story

Rating:
Summary: A must for Hoosier basketball fans and basketball coaches
Review: In "Knight: My Story", coach Knight lets us all into his world.
This autobiographical view takes the reader on a trip from Knight's high school days in Orrville, OH, all the way to the start of his first season at Texas Tech. Those familar with "The General" will no doubt be impressed that "he tells it like it is" as easily in the written form as he does with the spoken word. There's no question that this is Knight's book!

Basketball coaches will appreciate the snippets that Knight provides of "his" approach to basketball. While, not an "X's and O's" kind of book, there's plenty of basketball talk found here! Knight philosophical view of the game (and competition itself) really jumps off the pages of the book.

There are copious amounts of "name-dropping" throughout the book, which I think shows the "small-town boy" that's still present in Knight's being. Anecdotes about big-time celebs such Ted Williams, Howard Cosell, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, and Presidents Ford and Bush are prominently discussed, just to name a very few. The index of the book is impressive if, for no only reason, then for the sheer number of major "players" that are displayed.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable and quick read. Knight pulls no punches in discribing his firing from Indiana. For Hoosier fans, some of it will be gut-wrenching! Highly recommended for all basketball fans, but especially those from the Hoosier state!

Rating:
Summary: Great Coach -- Not So Great Book
Review: Let's get my bias out of the way first: I like Coach Knight. While he has lost his temper at times, he is an honest person and a fine teacher of college men. The vast majority of players who have played for him claim that they are better people because of him and I believe them.

That being said, I can't get quite excited about this book as I can regarding Texas Tech's chances in the upcoming basketball season. While this book is full of many interesting anecdotes and stories, it lacks organization. This is especially true as you near the end of the book. Instead of following an outline or logical flow, the book jumps from issue to issue and story without logical transitions.

Overall, I would recommend it to people who are big Bobby Knight fans except that I would be surprised if there is anything in the book that would be all the surprising to a big fan. What I enjoyed was when he would share his opinions of other sports stars and coaches and even his opinions of political leaders. For example we learn of his friendship with Ted Williams and hunting trips with President Bush and Stormin' Norman but that comes mixed between some other topics that aren't as compelling.

There have been other books written about Knight such as Feinstein's that might not be as flattering but might be more compelling to read. I would recommend reading this book and one of the others and comparing them. It would make for an interesting contrast.

In short, I'll be rooting for the Coach again this season, but it won't be beacuse of anything that I read about it in this book.

Rating:
Summary: One for the ages
Review: What a book. It is filled with info I never really knew. Never an Indiana basketball fam, I was always a Bobby Kight fan. I finished the book in one reading. I could not put it down. His love for fishing and hunting is explained in his book.