Knight was fired at Indiana in 2000 after violating a zero-tolerance behavioral policy. He said Tuesday he hadn’t decided whether to attend his induction into the university’s athletics Hall of Fame on Nov. 6. He hasn’t returned to the school since his firing.

Undecided is certainly better than no, right? While it was once inconceivable that Knight would return, it seems like Indiana will do everything within reason to get him back to Bloomington. Whether it works, well, that’s anybody’s guess.

Inside the Hall caught up with the McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Basketball and talked to him about the possibility of Knight returning to IU and his new job as a head coach at the charter school.

On what it would mean to Indiana fans and former players if Bob Knight returned for his induction to the IU Athletics Hall of Fame:

“I think that it would be absolutely huge. Throughout the years, anytime that you mentioned Indiana basketball or just Indiana University period, I think that the average fan immediately thought about Coach Knight. Being that he’s been away from the university, been away from the state, I think that people still embrace the thought and embrace the idea of him coming back and being a part, not necessarily from a coaching standpoint, but just being around the fans and being there. He’s meant so much to the university and to the state of Indiana.”

“I think that more people would support the idea of him coming back than I think that he realizes. It would be a very, very exciting kickoff to start off this year’s basketball season because Coach Crean has done an excellent job of getting good guys to come in. Not only good basketball players, but good people. I think that was one of the things that Coach Knight really stressed in his thirty years of coaching there and I think that he would definitely appreciate that.”

On his relationship with Coach Knight:

“I didn’t want to reach out to him until I handled my business. One of the main things is that I didn’t want to be one of the few players that played for him and didn’t graduate. Once I finished my career playing in Europe I immediately came home and enrolled back in school and I finished my degree.”

“Once I finished my degree, I sent him a letter. When I sent him the letter I basically was just letting him know what I’d been doing and wanted to thank him and let him know that I had graduated. More importantly, I wanted him to know that I had become the man that he was trying to teach me to be. He responded and that was the icing on the cake of my redemption. I made a mistake, I’ve paid my debt, I’ve rectified it and now it’s time to pass along to the kids that are traveling on the road I traveled and let them know how you should try to conduct yourself off the floor. That’s the biggest battle is off the floor.”

On the opportunity to become a head coach at Herron:

“It’s a great opportunity. I’ve been blessed in the fact that I’m a guy who had it and lost it. Hopefully with this opportunity, it’s the last of the beginning step of getting it back.”

“When I initially retired from playing in Europe, I came home and started coaching third and fourth graders. I started coaching older kids and I had three incidents where I was really hard on a couple of my guys. I had to basically tell them that the reason I was so hard on them was that I loved them. And I told them that and all three of them cried on me. So that let me know that this is what I needed to be doing.”

“AAU is a great venue, it’s a great opportunity to reach kids, but typically you only get the kids two to three days a week. I just felt that if I could put myself in a situation where I had complete access to a kid, the impact, hopefully, would be even that much more on a higher level. That’s what made me decide to start chasing this endeavor. I’ve been lucky. I’ve had guys like Matt Denison, Coach (Mike) Broughton, guys that have stuck their neck out on the line for me and it’s really put me in a good position.”

(Photo Credit: Indianapolis Star)

Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz spoke with Fred Glass and revealed that the AD is already making a concentrated effort to bring back Knight on November 6:

Already, Glass has sent Knight a hand-written letter asking him to come to the ceremonies.

He also has commissioned one Hall of Fame committee member — former Bloomington journalist Bob Hammel– to personally reach out to The General and convince him it’s time to come home.

Time heals wounds. But something tells me that the letter from Glass could be lost on Knight’s desk. It’s encouraging that Hammel, a long-time friend of Knight and former Herald-Times sports editor, has agreed to assist in this process. But Hammel’s involvement doesn’t guarantee Knight will return.

Kudos to Glass for realizing that it’s a sham to have a Hall of Fame at IU for athletics that doesn’t include Knight. Regardless of the way things ended nine years ago, it’s time to do the right thing and recognize Knight’s accomplishments and contributions to Indiana.

The only question that’s left to be answered: Will Knight accept Indiana’s invitation?

The last time most Indiana University fans thought about Jordan Crawford was probably June 11, 2008. That was the day when Crawford announced he would not return to Bloomington for his sophomore season. Some of you probably cried when you realized that Kyle Taber was the last man standing.

Crawford decided a month later that he would transfer to Xavier and with Sean Miller’s departure for Arizona, he’ll suit up next year for first year coach Chris Mack.

When I think back about Crawford’s season at IU, two things immediately come to mind: 1) He was an incredibly talented and gifted player with a boatload of potential; and 2) He was often erratic and downright frustrating to watch. Some of you even referred to him as “TUO” or “The Undisciplined One.”

Based on point No. 1, it really didn’t surprise me that Crawford reportedly posterized LeBron James the other day in Akron. What did surprise me is the amount of coverage this dunk, which we will probably never see, is garnering across the Web. Here’s a healthy sampling:

+ Ryan writes at MOUTHPIECE blog that LeBron needs to lighten up. {MOUTHPIECE blog}

+ Chris Chase writes that by censoring the video, LeBron just made Crawford’s dunk into a legend. {The Dagger @ Yahoo!}

+ LeBron gets dunked on; none of us are witnesses. {Deadspin}

+ Nike doesn’t want you to know about Jordan Crawford, but Marquis Teague describes the dunk. {The Hoosier Scoop}

Florida International is trying to hire former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas as its next basketball coach, sources have told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.

Florida International coach Sergio Rouco was fired Monday, and sources confirm that FIU athletic director Pete Garcia made calls within the conference recently to check on the viability of hiring Thomas.

The Sun Belt has recently become a second-chance destination. Florida Atlantic hired former St. John’s coach Mike Jarvis and Arkansas State hired former LSU coach John Brady.

If Thomas lands at Florida International, I like the move for both sides. Isiah gets a chance to start repairing his tarnished reputation. And Florida International, which hasn’t had a winning season in five years, gets a little buzz for its program. If nothing else, this mention of Isiah gives me a chance to relive this classic moment between Zeke and Bob Knight (earmuffs, boys and girls).

If nothing else, Hoosier fans will at least be able to catch White in action this coming Sunday, as his Tulsa 66ers take on Fort Wayne at Allen Country War Memorial Stadium. Just watch out for the Nightmare Ant, D.J.

With the season coming to a close here and the Thunder sitting at 20-50, hopefully White will get some playing time before season’s end.

Thanks to Hoosiergirl for the tip.

But fear not, Hoosier fans, as D.J. was cleared by doctors Monday to resume full-contact drills. White will be a member of the D-League’s Tulsa 66ers. According to Ridiculous Upside, White is joining a bit of a talented roster in Tulsa, so hopefully he finds his way into a starter’s role in an effort to make it onto the Thunder’s roster as early as next season.

Best of luck, D.J.

Inside the Hall: First things first. You first got into coaching at Louisiana Monroe, went to Chicago State for three weeks and returned to Louisiana Monroe when an assistant coaching job opened. How was the transition moving from a player to a coach and ultimately, what are your long term goals in coaching?

Tom Coverdale: I knew I wanted to stay in basketball. The toughest part for me is not being able to actually get out there and play during the games and not having hands on control during the games as much as you do as a player. My long term goal, I think just like every other young coach that gets into coaching, is to become a successful head coach at a great program and just try to get back to a Final Four.

ITH: You played for both Bob Knight and Mike Davis at Indiana. Tell us a couple of things you learned from each of those guys that you’ve been able to incorporate into your own career as a coach.

TC: I couldn’t really pick out different things, especially only being with Coach Knight for one year, but probably the way he prepared before games and got his team ready is something that I’ll always remember. In general as a player I think the thing that helped me the most is a lot of the situations players go through, I’ve lived through. I can relate to them and know exactly what they’re feeling and thinking as they’re going through it.

ITH: As a player, it always seemed that opposing fans loved to hate Tom Coverdale, but Indiana fans embraced you for your willingness to do the little things that it took to win basketball games. What do you think it was about your style of play that drew the ire of opposing fans?

TC: The way I always looked at it is if the other fans liked me, then I wasn’t doing my job for my team. I think the reason they didn’t like me is because I was a real emotional player and didn’t really hold anything back as far as emotion and just playing as hard as I could. I think it’s a combination of those two things that opposing fans didn’t like.

ITH: In a couple of weeks, it will be seven years since IU’s run in 2002 to the national championship game. Looking back on that run, was there one defining moment that immediately comes to mind? I know a lot of our readers still talk about the A.J. Moye block on Carlos Boozer. What was your point of view on that play and were you surprised that he was able to pull that off?

TC: No, just because I’d seen A.J. jump like that in practice all the time. So just looking back on that play, more than anything, more than how amazing it was that he was able to get it, was that we had just made a big run and that gave us the ball back and kept the momentum going in our favor even more. So that was a big turning point in the game.

ITH: You battled through two ankle injuries during that run, but you were still able to come up with several big plays that ultimately led you guys to the Final Four. How much pain were you in and was it easier to forget about as you were able to keep winning?

TC: It was definitely painful. Looking back I really wish in the Final Four I was 100 percent. As far as the pain, I think Tim Garl did a great job of getting me ready because it was definitely painful but when you get to that point in the season where you’ve dreamed about playing there your whole life, it really doesn’t matter how much pain is there, you’re definitely going to play. I feel like I gave it my best even though I wasn’t 100 percent.

ITH: One concern for many Indiana fans in recent years is the talent that is migrating to other states and other schools within the state. A couple of key examples: Greg Oden and Mike Conley to Ohio State, Dominic James to Marquette, Luke Harangody to Notre Dame. As a former Mr. Basketball who played for Indiana, what was your primary reason for choosing to stay home and play at IU and do you believe the prestige still sells itself to recruits or are other factors like practice facilities and television exposure more important now?

TC: I think they’re going in the right direction. I do think some of the facilities have been better than Indiana in the past because of the tradition and they didn’t want to change anything but with the new practice facility and everything coming in I don’t think that’s going to be a problem anymore.

Really the deciding factor for me was that I grew up an Indiana fan and had watched them my whole life. So I knew as soon as they offered me a scholarship, I’d stop the whole recruiting process because I knew I wanted to go there since I was a little kid. Basically that was the decision for me. I had always went to games there and just thought about how fun it’d be to play there so when I had the opportunity, even though they wanted me to go to a prep school first, I took it without even hesitating.

ITH: After you left IU, Coach Davis came under fire for missing the NCAA Tournament for two straight seasons and ultimately decided near the end of the 2006 season that he wouldn’t return. That led to the hiring of Kelvin Sampson and the phone call scandal. As a former player and IU alum, what was your reaction to what transpired in Bloomington under Sampson?

TC: I think as a former player it’s really frustrating because when you’re a former player a lot of people always talk to you about how the team is doing recently. I get questions like that all the time about what’s going on. I think it’s just more of being able to root and be proud. I think I’ll always be proud of Indiana just the last couple of years it’s been tough because they haven’t been winning as they normally would. I think that with Coach Crean they’re heading in the right direction and I think it’s definitely going to be back in the next couple years to where it should be.

ITH: The Indiana program seems to be headed in the right direction with Tom Crean. He’s embracing the tradition of Indiana basketball and the fanbase seems to be uniting once again. Two part question: Were you able to attend Crean’s outing last summer in French Lick for former players and if so, can you tell us about the experience? And despite the tough season due to rebuilding, what’s your early impression of how Crean’s done and where he’ll take the program?

TC: I did go to that reunion and I think that’s something that was long overdue. With all of the great players that have played at Indiana, being able to go back and meet some of the guys that I grew up watching and having the same thing of people you’ve looked up to coming up to you just wanting to meet you I think was a good experience for all of us. And getting to reunite with some of the guys I played with, Michael Lewis and some of the guys like that, it was definitely great to go and sit down and meet and have Coach Crean open his arms to us. As former players I thought was a great way to open up and show the former players that he cared and kind of knew what it was all about.

I’ve gotten to watch them play two or three times this season and even though they aren’t winning games you can tell that he’s getting the most out of them as far as their effort. I think everybody I’ve talked to back home, that’s the one thing they always talk about. They’re not winning, but they sure are playing hard. I think that’s the main staple of Indiana basketball is just giving everything you’ve got and playing as hard as you can. I think that’s a main reason why the fans have supported them so much. They see that the effort is there every single game and Indiana fans are probably the most intelligent fans in the country as far as knowing how the game should be played. And it is being played the right way even though the results aren’t there. I think that’s the main thing he’s gotten out of his guys this year.

The start of classes only intensified Bird’s feelings of isolation. Here he was, a poor, sheltered, intensely introverted teenager who had barely set foot outside his hometown of fewer than three thousand people, and he was stuck without any friends on a campus of more than thirty thousand undergraduates. He couldn’t get over the fact that he had to walk several miles just to get to class. And, as he often said half-jokingly, “I ain’t no genius in school.”

If he thought he might get some emotional support from the coaches, that notion was quickly dispelled as well. One night, while walking down the street with Jan Condra, who had also enrolled at Indiana, at Larry’s behest, and her sister, Larry looked up and saw Knight walking toward them. He stiffened and readied himself to speak to his head coach for the first time since arriving on campus. Knight walked toward Bird; Bird said hello — and Knight blew by without saying a word. “Larry didn’t say anything, but I could tell with his demeanor that his feelings were hurt,” Condra says. “Larry was used to people being a lot nicer to him. He didn’t like Coach Knight’s personality.”

Knight would later regret treating Bird so coldly. “Larry Bird is one of my great mistakes,” he said. “I was negligent in realizing what Bird needed at that time in his life.”

Bob Knight, for all his faults, was a great coach, but come on, dude. You let one of the all-time greats slip through your fingers because you couldn’t say hello to him on his walk back from class? Couldn’t give him a quick fatherly nod or something? Some sign you recognized he existed? It’s not Knight’s fault Bird was so thin-skinned, but really. Help the greatest player to ever come from Indiana (right? is there someone else that takes this title?) out a little bit.

Anyway, if you want to read the interview about all this stuff, including about how Larry Bird almost didn’t play basketball after he left Indiana, Part One of my interview with Davis is here, and Part Two is here.