There is no such dispute here in this college town of 199,445, where a statue of Buddy Holly pays tribute to a native son who died too young. Knight benefits from a location that is even more insulated than Bloomington, Ind. There are other surface similarities to the early days at IU, including the takeover of a losing program with seats to fill in a modern arena. Schmidly and athletic director Gerald Myers offer a level of unquestioned public support that might even exceed the protection Knight knew during the championship days at Indiana from president John Ryan and athletic director Ralph Floyd. The staff dissent that flared during the hiring process was eliminated, at least temporarily, after Schmidly appealed to the faculty during a meeting.
Nothing is risk free.
But I can see he really wants back in it. He wants back in it for the right reasons. Positive signs Knight will turn 61 on Oct. 25. His superiors, their commitments connecting them to the risk, point to positive signs. I just ask him to do things, and he has done everything I've asked him to do.