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Friday, March 9, 2001
Tech would have to wait 10 days to hire Knight



Sources close to former Indiana coach Bob Knight said Thursday that Knight would be offered the Texas Tech job once the school dismisses coach James Dickey, which happened Friday afternoon after Texas Tech lost to Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament Thursday.

James Dickey
Texas Tech's James Dickey isn't sure if he'll be returning for an 11th season as head coach of the Red Raiders.

However, Knight could not be offered the job until a state-mandated 10-day posting period had expired. According to Texas state law, open positions at state schools and universities must be posted for a minimum of 10 days before a hire can be made.

Also, sources told ESPN.com that Knight has some reservations because of the remoteness of the school in Lubbock, Texas. The sources say Knight spoke with close friends in Texas in the past two weeks about the position. He also met with a Texas Tech alum and queried him on the school three weeks ago.

In its Friday morning editions, the Dallas Morning News quoted a source as saying there would be no provision in a contract with Knight that would attempt to enforce a behavioral conduct code.

Dickey, who had coached at Texas Tech for 11 years (the last 10 as head coach), had three years left in the pact with a base salary of $200,000. Dickey's Red Raiders finished in a tie for last place in the Big 12's regular season

Sources confirmed reports that Knight did meet with Texas Tech athletics director Gerald Myers and president David Schmidly last week in Naples, Fla.

"Tough loss," was all Myers said to Dickey on Thursday after Oklahoma State defeated Texas Tech 71-59.

Akron coach Dan Hipsher told ESPN.com Thursday that assistant Pat Knight hasn't told him he would be leaving. But he said if the reports were true that Bob Knight would go to Texas Tech, then Pat would follow him to the school.

A former Texas Tech player who is now an assistant coach in Division I basketball told ESPN.com that Knight queried him on Texas Tech three weeks ago. Knight has been searching for a position in a major conference at a school where he could essentially be left alone and have a relationship in place with the administration.

The Red Raiders finished in a last-place tie (3-13) in the conference this season and 9-19 overall.

Myers fits the profile of the type of AD who would hire Knight. Myers, the former Texas Tech head coach, is a longtime friend of Knight's and got Knight's Indiana team to open Tech's on-campus arena in what was Knight's last season at Indiana in 1999-2000.

"They have a right to do whatever they're going to do, but I should at least be told," Dickey said.

Knight, who's repeatedly said he wants to return to coaching, was fired after 29 seasons at Indiana last Sept. 10 for failing to live up to a university-imposed "zero tolerance" behavior policy. He was replaced by assistant coach Mike Davis on an interim basis.

Information from ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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AUDIO VIDEO
 Former Duke head coach Bucky Waters says Bob Knight should get another chance to coach again.
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 James Dickey will coach until the day he is told to leave.
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 ESPN.com's Andy Katz sizes up the possibility of Bob Knight coaching at Texas Tech.
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 Where is Bobby Knight headed? ESPN's Curry Kirkpatrick looks at the possibilities.
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