Defining the Problem
Coach Bobby Knight has always been an extremely polarizing figure. As coach of the Indiana University basketball team from 1971-2000, he achieved great professional success. He won over 800 games, including three NCAA championships. Underlying his tremendous achievement on the court was Coach Knight’s authoritarian style of leadership. He ruled with an iron fist and behaved in many ways like an aggressive, unrelenting tyrant. He demanded nothing less than absolute perfection from his team. His primary method of motivating players was negative reinforcement. While he had many critics, Coach Knight’s stellar record also garnered him many supporters who viewed him simply as a benign throwback to the old-school disciplinarians of generations past. His controversial leadership style finally caught up with him in September of 2000 when, while on probation, Coach Knight’s reported physical confrontation with a student led to his termination from Indiana. He was subsequently hired by Texas Tech in the spring of 2001.
Possible Alternatives
…show more content…
Indiana clearly attempted to admonish the coach (even disciplining him by placing him on probation) but the school was unsuccessful in curtailing his behavior. That left only two real courses of action. Given Coach Knight’s winning record, the school’s leadership could simply choose to keep him on staff (or hire him in the case of Texas Tech). This would of course involve ignoring the coach’s abrasive and often hostile style of interacting with others. Alternatively, the opposite approach could be taken. Rather than merely focusing on the success of their basketball program, the school could concentrate on promoting a higher standard of conduct by firing (or refusing to hire) Coach Knight. They could begin a search for another basketball coach, one with a less controversial leadership
Robert Montgomery "Bobby" Knight (born October 25, 1940 in Massillon, Ohio) is the head men's basketball coach at Texas Tech University. He previously held the same position at Indiana University and the United States Military Academy. Knight is one of NCAA Division I college basketball's most controversial coaches but is the third all-time winningest coach in the men's division, behind Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp. With only 10 wins separating him and all-time leader Dean Smith, Knight will probably break the all-time record next season.
Christian Laettner played basketball for Duke in the 1990’s. He made perhaps the most dramatic shot in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament. He's the only player to start in four consecutive Final Fours, and was instrumental in Duke winning two national championships. He had looks, smarts and game. So why has Christian Laettner been disliked so intensely by so many for so long? Maybe it was the time he stomped on the chest of a downed player, or the battles he had with his teammates, or a perceived sense of entitlement. But sometimes, perception isn't reality. "I Hate Christian Laettner" will go beyond the polarizing persona to reveal the complete story behind this lightning rod of college basketball. Featuring extensive access to
Bobby Knight, longtime Indiana men’s head basketball coach, was recently fired. This firing sparked a controversy among basketball fans throughout the nation; did he deserve to be fired? I believe that Bobby Knight deserved to be fired. Although coach Knight is one of the best coaches in the nation and has earned the respect of countless numbers of fans including myself, I do not believe that a coach should be able to act the way he acted and get away with it. Coach Knight’s record for abusing players, abusing the media, and being a jerk should speak for itself and there is no doubt in my mind that Bobby Knights firing can be justified.
In the book, "They Call Me Coach" by John Wooden, he talks about the importance of a teacher and coach as a role model for kids. He talks about his successes he had in coaching, the lessons he has learned, and the ones he has taught. In the book, you will get to walk through his life from when he was a little kid and first fell in love with basketball to when he retired from active coaching at UCLA in 1975. He also talks about his "Pyramid of Success" and the traits that every player should have.
Jim Valvano, otherwise known as “Jimmy V”, was a college basketball player, coach, and broadcaster. This paper will cover Jimmy and define his true leadership qualities. Jimmy was an icon in the sports world not only for his coaching ability. He taught the world that leaders need a vision, leaders need to connect with their followers, and that leaders learn from their followers. Jimmy defied the rules and transformed his players into exceptionally good players and even better people. He taught more than basketball to his players and reached outside of his coaching arena to touch the lives of people across the world.
“When I got the job, I looked at the program as a bus,” said Hoyt. “I am jumping onto the bus. The program and school already exist, and there is a recent history of not having a successful basketball program. How do I change that for the better and make it my own? The first thing is get rid of all the people that you don 't want on the bus, and that is what I did. Then I looked at it as a scorched earth theory, where you burn everything that preexist to the ground. We got new jerseys, new players, and everything else is dead. We brought in new freshman, and those freshman were going to be foundation of what 's going to come down the road.”
Pat Summitt has been diagnosed with Dementia, early-onset Alzheimer’s type. Even though she no longer makes the play calls or runs the practices, she can still be found on the court yelling at players until her face turns blue. Summitt is very much still a large part of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team, and considers herself the “big gun”; her official title is Head Coach Emeritus. Her constant rock is her son, Ross “Tyler” Summitt, her pride, joy and greatest accomplishment; although Summitt did not want her son to follow in her footsteps, he is currently the head coach at Louisiana Tech and has succeeded expectations. Many of Summitt’s former players were inspired by her, and many have become outstanding coaches at every level of the game. From many famous college coaches like Sylvia Hatchell, Geno Auriemma, and Kim Mulkey, the game of women’s basketball is headed towards a bright
The first personal traits that Coach Dale was forced to exhibit were his toughness and his assertiveness. On his first night in Hickory he met the men of town in the barbershop who were all willing to provide their experience and insight on the team and how to coach. Coach Dale had enough self confidence to know that none of these “insights” were going to help the Hickory team win basketball games and let them know they weren’t welcome by turning his back and walking out. Additionally, he was forced to demonstrate his toughness twice more on the first day of practice by telling the temporary coach, “Secondly, your days of coaching are over,” and then by standing up to the group of men after he dismissed Buddy from the team. These actions made no friends of the men; however, th...
The author of “Sports’ Bully Culture” John Amaechi, throughout his essay focuses on the bully that very few consider, the coach. He presents an example that most, parents in particular, have heard about; Mike Rice, the former coach at Rutgers University’s. Amaechi recognizes that he can agree with the end result but he also recognizes the need for a different approach and continues to share his view. Amaechi then shares his own personal experience with this kind of bully when he was in university. Even though what he says appeals to many, some coaches, disagree with Amaechi view. He continues to show that these coaches are not just a select few, and the result of these coaches is severe. The essays purpose is to change the audience’s perspective
Krzyzewski, M. (2001). Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life. New York, NY: Business Plus
The 1980?s rolled around and the ?Cameron Crazies? (Duke Basketball fans) felt as if there were no hope for their Blue Devils basketball program, but that?s where they were wrong. Along came what is arguably the greatest coach to step foot on a basketball court, Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K has had unprecedented success at Duke, winning three national championships, and making Duke the powerhouse basketball school that they are today.
“Be more concerned with you character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” These words of John Wooden are just a few out of many wise quotes millions of people, not just athletes, are inspired by today and likely will continue to be inspired by for a very long time. Basketball fans and experts consider John Wooden as one of, if not, the greatest coaches of all time. Much of his success is a result of his beliefs and coaching system. Knowing the background of Coach Wooden’s playing and coaching career plays a significant role in understanding how he practiced his beliefs with his teams and how his philosophy and success intertwined to set a precedent for the remainder of collegiate basketball.
Wertheim, L. (1998). The 'Secondary'. A Curious Career Phil Jackson Has Gone From Cloistered Child to Free- Spirited Player to Championship Coach. Somehow it all Seems to Fit. Sports Illustrated, 36 p. Unsworth, T. (1997).
The Reconstruction tried to help restore and unify the United States. The South had drafted new constitutions, they also acknowledged the Thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth Amendments. That action showed that the south was loyal to the US government. Even with that small progress there continued to be much tension between whites and blacks during the 1870s. Freed people of the south were resented by whites for wanting an education and for wanting a better life for themselves, this period of time was very hard and trying for African Americans. This was a volatile time in America’s history.
Throughout the book “Leading with the Heart,” I read about prime examples of the following leadership theories: transformational leadership, trait theory, behavioral theory, and situational leadership. He recommended that leaders begin with the trait theory when beginning the selection process when starting his or her organization. In chapter one and as well as chapter two, Coach K refers to coachable players. Meaning, players or members that do not mind being taught and learning; willing to take a back seat to someone else in charge. Establish right away in the first meeting the only rule for the team: “Don’t do anything that’s detrimental to yourself, because if it is detrimental to you, it will be detrimental to our program (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.4). He reiterates that leaders must be very selective in this process, because the people you select represent you as the leader, and your company. In some cases leaders must sacrifice some skill and talent for people who have outstanding character. “Character and respect will outlast talent when talent can’t see past themselves.” Krzyzewski mentions that he will sign a kid who has the character of a leader and train them to gain the skill necessary down the road. I believe that this is why the Duke Men’s basketball program is very successful because he picks