ESPN Men's Basketball

Reaction to Bob Knight's resignation from Texas Tech:

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"Outside of my immediate family, no single person has had a greater impact on my life than Coach Knight. I have the ultimate respect for him as a coach and a mentor, but even more so as a dear friend. For more than 40 years, the life lessons I have learned from Coach are immeasurable. Simply put, I love him.

"As a coach, no one has more passion for basketball. No one understands its history or serves it more earnestly. And certainly, no one prepared better or taught the game at a higher level. While this is a tremendous loss for our sport, it is something Coach Knight wanted at this point in his life and as he's consistently done, he handled it in his own way."
-- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski

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"I guess you can never be surprised at some of the things Bob does. I don't think there's ever been a better teacher of the game of basketball than Bob. I don't always approve of his methods, but his players for the most part are very loyal to him. I would say that no player that ever played for him would not say he did not come out a stronger person."
-- Former UCLA coach John Wooden

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"I am very fortunate and blessed to have played for him. He made me a better man and for that I am grateful."
-- Former Indiana guard and current New Mexico coach Steve Alford

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"This is an opportunity to let Patrick [Knight] get his feet wet in a difficult situation. To Coach Knight it's very clear, 'my career ends and my son's career starts.' He's in a football state trying to get a basketball program going and that was going to be difficult. Patrick may have a better chance at doing that [now] than Coach Knight."
-- Former Hoosier Quinn Buckner, played for Knight at Indiana from 1972-76

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"Today was the most relaxed and relieved I've seen him in a long time."
-- Bob Knight's son Pat Knight

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"He's a lightning rod. You either love him or hate him. But certainly as an opposing coach, you had to be ready for games against his teams, because you were going to get their best."
-- Bulls interim coach Jim Boylan, who coached against Knight as an assistant in the Big Ten from 1986-89.

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"He was a stickler for discipline. He was a stickler for what was right in this game. He was someone who believed that when you use the word 'discipline,' it was used as a high form of intelligence."
-- Former Temple coach John Chaney

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A lot of you [media] have had difficult times with him ... but I've gotten to know him personally. He's really a wonderful guy. He's a great guy. I always judge people if they're great guys if they're good listeners and they're humble. And he's, when you get to know him, very humble guy, great listener, cares about what you have to say."
-- Louisville coach Rick Pitino

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"He's one of the great coaches of all time, no one can argue that. He's meant so much to the game. Ultimately, that's the bottom line. He's a genuine, authentic person and did things the right way. His teaching the motion is probably among the best ever in the history of the game."
-- UCLA coach Ben Howland

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"Some people will have a different opinion. But for me, when you lose one of the best coaches and one of the best teachers in the game, it's not good for basketball."
-- Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo

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"He's a giant and directly or indirectly, he's probably influenced more coaches than anybody else, especially guys who are my age. There are Hall of Famers and there are Hall of Famers, and I'm not so sure there are many on the same shelf he is."
-- Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson

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"There's no question in my mind he will, and, in my opinion, I wouldn't want it any other way. Bob Knight to me is Indiana basketball."
-- IPFW coach Dane Fife, who was a member of Knight's final Indiana team.

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"To walk away in the middle of the season is somewhat surprising to me. He's definitely getting up there in age and hopefully his health is still good, so you never know."
-- Damon Bailey, former Indiana basketball player whom Knight started recruiting in eighth grade

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"I think the world of Bobby. I don't think it has nothing to do with age. Bobby has done everything that all coaches would love to have done. He won national championships. He coached the Olympic team. He won more games than any other coach in the history of the game. Bobby has done everything. He has nothing else left."
-- Former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson

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"He believes in discipline and trying to teach kids how to be men when they're out of basketball and no longer able to go to school instead of being goofballs."
-- Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan

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"You've got Dean Smith, you've got Adolph Rupp, you've got John Wooden. There's a handful of guys and he's right in the middle of them, having an impact on this sport that's above and beyond any."
-- Miami Heat coach Pat Riley

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"I'm surprised he resigned. I knew at some time he would step down and that his son would take over for him. I was thinking it would have been at the end of the year. Maybe he's just had enough."
-- Interim San Francisco coach Eddie Sutton

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"I'm disappointred, selfishly. He brings interest to the league. I know I'd like for him to come to Allen Fieldhouse one more time. I'm disappointed because I've kind of felt the same way when Barry Sanders retired. How can he retire when he has so much good stuff left? And I kind of feel the same way about coach."
-- Kansas coach Bill Self

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"You're talking about a Hall of Fame coach that's going to be dearly missed. We're going to miss him. He's one of the all-time winningest coaches and he has a lot of records that people are trying to chase right now."
-- Missouri coach Mike Anderson

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"The best that has ever been has just walked off into the sunset."
-- Texas coach Rick Barnes

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"His legacy to basketball is more than the number of wins he has achieved. Bob has given back to the game of basketball as much or more than anyone who has ever coached the game. No one has participated in more basketball clinics and camps and invited coaches to practices than Bob Knight. He has always made time to help coaches with information and insight into the technical aspects of his coaching philosophy."
-- Texas Tech director of athletics Gerald Myers

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"Coach Knight has made outstanding contributions to the game of college basketball. He was a major influence throughout the coaching profession and on generations of young men. I have enjoyed working with him and wish him well in the future."
-- Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.