Knight Makes Right for Harvard

Indiana University's stunning decision to fire Bobby Knight presents Harvard with an historic opportunity to revitalize its Athletic Department--by hiring him as the men's basketball coach. Though current head coach Frank Sullivan has conducted himself as a perfect Ivy League gentleman and vastly improved the team during his tenure, Knight can bring Harvard to a new level. The simple, sad fact is that the Crimson has never won an Ivy League championship, consistently falling victim to the triumvirate of Dartmouth, Penn and Princeton.

This solution should satisfy both sides of the Bobby Knight debate. For his supporters, Knight receives a chance to a bring an athletically prestigious Division I school to a place it has never been. Taking Harvard to the Big Dance would cement his Hall of Fame credentials as an accomplishment on par with anything Dean Smith or John Wooden has done.

Meanwhile, his detractors can gain satisfaction that his antics will remain forever marginalized. Completely removed from the spotlight, his chair-throwing, referee-harassing theatrics will have almost no audience and fade away from ESPN's purview.

Knight has publicly stated that he would coach basketball tomorrow if offered the right position. Realistically, however, it is unlikely that the Harvard job fits his criteria, and it is even less likely that he would be offered the job in the first place. On the other hand, hiring Knight would, for once, put the fear of God into Princeton.