LUBBOCK, Texas – James Dickey was fired Friday as Texas
Tech's basketball coach, clearing the way for the possible hiring
of Bob Knight.
Athletics director Gerald Myers said the decision to drop Dickey
was made a week ago and that he and school president David Schmidly
met with Knight on Monday in Florida.
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Dickey's statement
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"I would like to thank Texas Tech for the opportunity and honor
of being its basketball coach. I would also like to thank coach
Gerald Myers, coach T Jones, as well as the past and current
administrations.
"I appreciate my excellent staff and all the players who gave
of themselves to me and this program. I also want to thank the fans
and loyal supporters we've had over the years.
"I love Texas Tech, the Lubbock community and all of the people
of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.
"I appreciate the interest and fairness from the media,
however, I would like to have some time to collect my thoughts and
will speak to the media at an appropriate time."
– James Dickey, from a statement released Friday
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"We felt it was necessary for us to talk to Bob Knight to
assess his interest and also our interest," said Myers, who
preceded Dickey as Tech's coach and is longtime friends with
Knight.
Knight has been out of coaching since Indiana fired him Sept. 10
for a "pattern of unacceptable behavior." He won three national
championships in 29 years at the school, but his tenure was marred
by emotional outbursts and physical attacks.
Schmidly described the Hall of Fame coach as "an interesting
man."
"No contract has been offered to Bob Knight," Schmidly said.
"Nothing has been given to him in writing, nor has he indicated to
us that he would necessarily accept any offer we might make in the
future."
State law requires the job to be open for 10 business days,
which means no deal could be official before March 22.
Myers said the school would buy out the final three years on
Dickey's contract. His assistants also were fired.
Myers said he did not have a list of candidates, but he does
have others in mind.
"We are trying to find the best person, the person we feel will
take us back to that competitive level as quickly as possible,"
Myers said.
Dickey's status has been in limbo ever since the Red Raiders
lost 11 of their last 12 games to finish 9-19, their worst record
in his 10 seasons. This was Tech's fourth straight losing season
after a run of three solid years, which included going 30-2 and
reaching the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 in 1995-96.
The program derailed shortly thereafter because of NCAA
sanctions that stripped nine scholarships the past four years. The
school's violations included recruiting and unethical conduct.
As the losses mounted, attendance plummeted. The men were
consistently outdrawn by Tech's highly ranked women's team at the
new United Spirit Arena. Coincidentally, Knight and Indiana were
part of the first game at the $45 million facility when it opened
in November 1999.
Hiring the 60-year-old Knight surely would boost Tech's ticket
sales. And for all his off-court transgressions, "The General"
has never been punished by the NCAA.
Schmidly was well-versed on Knight's resume.
"I notice he ranks seventh on the all-time coaches list, he
graduates a very high percentage of his players, his program was
squeaky clean – never had any NCAA problems," Schmidly said. "So
there are lots of credentials that make him an outstanding
basketball coach."
As for the various outbursts that have gotten Knight in trouble
and ultimately cost him his job, Schmidly said: "Those are other
issues that we would have to take a look at at the appropriate
time. They would be looked at, but we're not at that point yet."
Hiring Knight also would help Tech's recruiting. His guidance
also could make the Red Raiders more of a contender in the Big 12,
a deep basketball conference. Tech was third in the league's first
season, but has been in the second tier ever since.
Since leaving Indiana, Knight has been rumored to be wanted by
several colleges. He's also discussed TV jobs and has been seen at
NBA practices.
Knight has notified Indiana that he plans to sue the university
over wrongful termination. A letter he sent accuses the school of
slander, libel, inflicting emotional distress and interfering in
his subsequent job search. It claims the university's actions cost
him more than $7 million.
Tech endured four straight losing seasons before Dickey arrived.
The Red Raiders went 15-14 his first year and didn't have a losing
record until the recent skid began in 1997-98.
Dickey leaves his first Division I head coaching job with a
record of 166-124 and two NCAA tournament berths. His final game
was Thursday's loss to Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big
12 tournament.
"I appreciate my excellent staff and all the players who gave
of themselves to me and this program," Dickey said in a brief
statement. "I also want to thank the fans and loyal supporters
we've had over the years."
Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton, for whom Dickey worked at
Arkansas and Kentucky, defended his friend's record.
"You can't ever criticize his coaching," Sutton said. "I've
had some great coaches and James is as good as any of them. A coach
can only take you so far." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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ALSO SEE
Sources: Texas Tech to offer Knight head coaching job
AUDIO VIDEO
 Texas Tech announces the firing of James Dickey.
RealVideo: 28.8
 Texas Tech University President David Schmidly talks about the possibility of Bobby Knight be the school next basketball coach.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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