By Kyle Odegard
The State Press
He may be the most notorious name in college basketball. He almost certainly has the worst temper in the game.
And he's exactly what ASU needs.
With the likelihood that ASU men's basketball coach Rob Evans will not be around next season, the Sun Devils will be in search of a coach that can bring some immediate credibility to a program stuck in the mud.
Well, who better than Bobby Knight?
Knight has not made quite the impact that was expected when he went from Indiana to Texas Tech, but he has successfully turned it into a legitimate basketball school in a place where not too many kids dream of playing college ball.
Knight is known for his fiery attitude and competitiveness, something that would be an about-face from the easygoing Evans.
ASU currently has players with potential. But the knock on Evans has been his inability to turn that potential into any substance on the hardwood.
With Knight's demand for perfection, players like Jeff Pendergraph and Antwi Atuahene would not slip through the cracks. If those two truly bought into Knight's system, he would be sure to get the most out of them.
The state of Arizona is by no means a recruiting hotbed, but if Lute Olson can continue to get quality athletes to play in Tucson, then Knight shouldn't have trouble getting kids to Tempe. With the draw of a temperate climate and playing in the Pac-10 — as well as playing under the guidance of Knight — it wouldn't take long to turn ASU into a successful basketball program.
The big question is whether Knight would consider the job in the first place. But the Sun Devils do play in the Pac-10, and Tempe would seem an easy place to eventually build up a contender.
Either way, it would be worth a call.
Knight's detractors will point to his brashness and sometimes over-the-line antics as reasons why he shouldn't be hired here. But the bottom line is, Bobby Knight is a winner.
He would fill up Wells Fargo Arena in a heartbeat, and turn ASU into a basketball school for the first time.
When Lisa Love was hired as the new athletic director, she made it clear that she wanted winners in her department. Unless Dean Smith is available, Knight is the best option.
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu.
