LUBBOCK, Texas -- After visiting Texas Tech for the first time, attending its Midnight Madness event, and staying in Lubbock for three days to watch Bob Knight's new team practice, I left West Texas very impressed.

Then again, I knew I would again be impressed with Knight's coaching. I never cease to be astounded by his commanding presence during practices, his encyclopedic knowledge of the game, his ability to teach complicated concepts and make them easy to understand, and his extraordinary energy and zeal for coaching. He is, put simply, among a handful of the greatest coaches in the game's history, period.

	Bob Knight's public persona has raised interest in Texas Tech basketball to an all-time high.

But, other things genuinely surprised me.

First, Texas Tech has first-rate facilities for basketball. I had seen the United Spirit Arena on television several times, but actually being there gave me a much better perspective. There is not a finer facility in the Big 12, and the USA can compete favorably with any on-campus basketball facility in the nation.

The USA houses a state of the art weight room that is used by only basketball and volleyball players, top quality locker rooms, and a separate practice facility from the main floor. The USA reminds me of America West Arena in Phoenix, and is a terrific place to play. The players all have key cards that give them access to the building from early morning to late evening to work on their games, shoot free throws, or lift weights.

Second, there is genuine excitement about the upcoming basketball season in Lubbock, not to mention all around the state of Texas.

Lubbock is a nice place, but it was always off of my radar screen. It is a city of about 200,000 people, and is most known for Tech and having produced Buddy Holly. I always perceived Texas Tech to be a football school first, and a women's basketball school second. Neither sport will be diminished in importance with the arrival of Bob Knight, rather each will be enhanced. If my 72 hours in Lubbock were any indication, Texas Tech is starting to look like a men's basketball school.

Third, Knight seems sincerely energized for this new challenge.

Those close to the coach told me that he is rejuvenated, fully engaged in every facet of the basketball program, especially recruiting, and that he is genuinely positive and excited about his team and the future of his program. They feel the year away from the game was good for him, and that he will be better for it. When I mentioned those observations to Knight, he didn't disagree with the assessments, but indicated that it may not be so much that he is more engaged or energized, but that people are watching so much more closely now than before.

Knight clearly feels comfortable at Texas Tech, in part because this challenge reminds him of when he took the job at Indiana in 1971-72. Just as he did then, Knight is taking over a program at Texas Tech that has not won of late, and Knight believes he has an administration that is completely supportive of him.

Knight has clearly been the sole reason for the increased interest and attention in Texas Tech basketball, and his impact upon the scene has been remarkable. He has been feverishly active on the Texas Tech fundraising and speaking circuit, and he has raised a lot of money for Tech athletics. Season tickets to Red Raider basketball games have gone through the roof, with over 12,000 season tickets sold, many of which included permanent seat licenses with an eight-year commitment, and every seat allotted to students has been grabbed up.

Texas Tech reportedly ranks in the Big 12's bottom third with a $22 million athletic budget, but donations are way up since Knight's hiring. The Red Raider Club, the Tech booster organization, has increased by almost forty percent. The Student Red Raider Club, which didn't exist before Knight was introduced as coach six months ago, now has over 5,600 members and is now the largest student booster organization in the nation. Knight has personally raised well over $75,000 for his pet project, a library fund.

All of that is important, but what I was most interested in was on the floor each day in practice. Some things I saw surprised me, others did not.

The thing that most surprised me was Knight's personnel. I had read and heard that Texas Tech had few quality players, would struggle for wins, and finish at or near the bottom of the Big 12 this season. What I saw made me question the accuracy of that assessment.

	“	I believe that Knight, down to his socks, truly loves to teach, coach and compete. Knight loves more than just the games, he loves the process itself. The process of coaching is an integral part of who Bob Knight is, and Knight is an American original. ”
		— Jay Bilas

Knight has an athletic team that can be very good off the dribble. Andy Ellis has re-tooled his body, and looked better to me in his first three days of practice than he did over his first three years at Tech. Ellis is skilled, in excellent condition, and has very good instincts in the post, combined with the ability to step away and shoot it.

Will Chavis will run the point for Knight, and is a very good player. Chavis played in the same high school backcourt as Temple's Lynn Greer, and is an excellent shooter with outstanding quickness. Junior college transfers Kasib Powell and Pawel Storonzynski are talented and athletic, and will have an immediate impact, and returnee Andre Emmitt is a very good athlete that has a knack for scoring in the post.

Texas Tech lacks only depth and size up front, but has quality athletes that Knight will teach how to play, play hard and play together. This group has a lot to learn to play the way Knight wants them to, but they are hard working and have concentrated well early. Don't be surprised if Texas Tech turns out to be pretty good sooner rather than later.

Finally, when I was watching Knight's team practice during Midnight Madness, I was asked by a young reporter whether I thought Knight was coaching at Texas Tech to rehabilitate his image, and/or to break Dean Smith's career wins record. Given that Knight has 763 wins, just 117 shy of Smith, and that he has been a controversial figure in the past, it seemed like a fair question. However, after spending significant time with Knight and watching him at work, I do not believe that either of those things drove Knight to get back into coaching.

I believe that Knight, down to his socks, truly loves to teach, coach and compete. Knight loves more than just the games, he loves the process itself. The process of coaching is an integral part of who Bob Knight is, and Knight is an American original.

If you have ever seen Knight at work in practice, he is alert to everything on both ends of the court, always shouting encouragement, criticism, witticism, or making important teaching points without stopping action on the floor to do it. His practices do not last very long, but move from one thing to another quickly, and Knight values mental alertness and mental toughness far more than physical execution. There is not a play that goes by on the floor in which Knight is not engaged, and every person that is involved in a Knight practice learns something significant about the game.

In my judgment, there is no way that Knight could, day after day, expend the energy he does teaching and coaching in practice just to break a record or prove that he can still do it.

I believe that Knight loves what he does, and I also believe he is one of the best coaches in the history of sport. I'm looking forward to watching him prove it at Texas Tech.