Sometimes we never get amazed at the audacity (and consistency) of some of our long-time rivals.
I can’t post too much of this because it is an INsider article and it is only fair to respect the integrity of such work. (But, ESPN’s INsider is well worth the money.) But, I will post just enough for you to get the gist of it with the tease. Does it really surprise you?
The first inclination that there was a forfeit on Bob Knight’s career record came from the voice of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Woody Durham pointed out last week that Knight has forfeits on his record and Dean Smith does not.
Durham said in an email that Smith was offered a forfeit after he closed his career by losing to Texas Tech in the 1996 NCAA Tournament in Richmond, a win that, according to Durham, would have put Smith at 880. But Durham said Smith said he declined to accept it, saying, “We didn’t win it on the court!”
Well, according to (Gary) Johnson (who handles NCAA statistics), this isn’t possible since “even if a coach doesn’t want them on the record, if the committee on infractions tells me to put them on there, then I have to put them on there.”
Good old Woody. Drinking the kool-aid and obviously emailing people about Saint Dean. (Has Smith really not been elevated to Holy Spirit status yet? I guess he has to die first.)
Don’t ever forget the kool-aid that the ultra-competitive Dean Smith didn’t care one bit about ultimately achieving the all-time wins record. That is why he just happened to retire the year that he broke the record having surpassed it by only three games. It was just a coincidence.
