Hoosiers happy to have Knight back
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. —
Bob Knight’s short stroll from the practice gym to Assembly Hall ended a 20-year journey home. It seemed as if he never left. When the former Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball coach walked through the tunnel Saturday and onto his old court for the first time since he was fired in September 2000, the crowd went wild — chanting his name, roaring with approval, thanking him for all the success and banners he brought to Bloomington. “It was one of the greatest and most emotional things for me,” said former player Randy Wittman, who had a key role in the reunion. “I don’t know if we’ll see something like this again in college basketball. When he moved back here, I told him, ‘You’re back here because this is where you belong.’” The sellout crowd and dozens of former players lauded Knight after watching a video detailing the former coach’s contributions. He walked in with his son, Pat. He hugged Isiah Thomas. He was assisted into the arena by Quinn Buckner. And the 79-year-old Knight reveled in the moment, pumping his fist, pretending to direct
Scott May in a practice drill and even leading fans in a chorus of “D-fense! D-fense!” No, he didn’t wear his trademark red sweater or throw a chair, but he did appear to get a little misty-eyed as the fans cheered. “We love you, Bobby,” one shouted. Knight did not speak to the crowd over the public address system. He didn’t need to. Everyone in attendance knew what the famously combustible coach accomplished in 29 seasons leading the Hoosiers: A program-record 662 victories, 11 Big Ten championships, five Final Four appearances and three national titles.
› CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Duke freshman Wendell Moore’s putback basket as time expired capped the seventh-ranked Blue Devils’ rally in a 98-96 overtime victory Saturday at North Carolina, a wild renewal of the Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry. Moore’s follow of Tre Jones’ missed off-balance jumper finally ended a game in which Duke came back from 13 down in the final 4 1/2 minutes of regulation. Jones forced overtime by hitting a contested jumper at the second-half horn after corralling his own intentionally missed free throw, and he finished with 28 points to lead the Blue Devils (20-3, 10-2), who trailed most of the night and led for only 1:47 of game action. Cole Anthony scored 24 points to lead the struggling Tar Heels (10-13, 3-9), who appeared unexpectedly in control of this one much of the way — only to be undone by missed free throws and an inability to come up with one or two more clutch plays to close out the upset.
FOOTBALL
› WASHINGTON — The debut of the second incarnation of the XFL had a punt blocked for a touchdown, a juiced-up crowd roaring for big plays and a player cursing during an in-game television interview. The actual football was hit and miss. Former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, who won a national championship with the Buckeyes, was the biggest star on the field and took the microphone to address fans before the kickoff of the professional league, which ultimately flopped 19 years ago in its lone season before returning Saturday. “This is for the love of football,” Jones said. “Enjoy.” Jones’ D.C. Defenders beat the Seattle Dragons 31-19 Saturday afternoon in an opener that provided plenty of entertainment in person and on television. It’s far too early to tell if the XFL can take a foothold where its previous incarnation and the recently unsuccessful Alliance of American Football failed, but executives are willing to wait and see. It can’t boast the star power of the NFL, but billionaire professional wrestling mogul Vince
McMahon’s latest venture is an attempt to capture the attention of hardcore football fans in the aftermath of the Super Bowl. In the day’s second game, the Houston Rougnecks — whose roster includes former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive lineman Vantrell McMillan — beat the Los Angeles Wildcats 37-17. The rest of the league’s teams will debut today, with the Tampa Bay Vipers at the New York Guardians and the St. Louis Battlehawks at the Dallas Renegades.
HOCKEY
› EDMONTON, Alberta —
Leon Draisaitl scored twice as the Edmonton Oilers rallied to beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Saturday night. Alex Chiasson also scored for the Oilers, who snapped a twogame losing streak. Nick Bonino and Craig Smith scored for the Predators, who lost for the second time in six games. Nashville started the scoring 12 minutes into the first period as Smith poked a backhand off a rebound past Oilers goalie
Mike Smith for his 12th goal of the season. With Predators goalie Juuse Saros keeping the Oilers off the board, Nashville made it 2-0 with three minutes to play in the second period when Bonino was able to tip in his 17th goal of the season off a shot by Dan Hamhuis. Edmonton got a power-play goal with nine seconds left in the second when Connor McDavid’s shot hit Chiasson on the way to the net and was accidentally kicked into the net by Nashville’s Kyle Turris. The Oilers tied the game four minutes into the third when
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins made a deft backhand pass to Draisaitl, who moved up the left side and sent a shot off the post and in. Draisaitl gave Edmonton the lead on a 4-on-3 power play with seven minutes left in the third, sending a shot into the top corner for his 31st goal of the season. Nashville pushed hard to even the score in the final minute, but Edmonton was able to hang on.