INDIANAPOLIS – Pat Knight, son of the late Bob Knight, resigned as coach of the Marian Knights men's basketball team after refusing to comply with an administrator's demand that he fire someone on his staff.
Knight did not name the staff member, but told The Indianapolis Star that he had no intention of firing him. Then he resigned.
Knight was ejected in what turned out to be his final game for Marian: Saturday's 75-74 loss to another NAIA school in Indiana. With the win, Goshen snapped a 19-game losing streak to Marian and also ended a 54-game losing streak in conference play.
Marian athletic director Steve Downing hired Knight in 2024, and he went 16-34 at the Indianapolis-based school. Downing played on Knight's first teams at Indiana, but was not a part of any of the elder Knight's three title-winning teams.
Knight also succeeded his father at Texas Tech during the 2007-08 seasons and spent four seasons with the Red Raiders. He later landed at another Texas school, Lamar.
In seven seasons as a Division I coach, Knight went 79-123 before making the jump to the NBA, where he held various positions, including scouting for 10 seasons with the Indiana Pacers. He told The Star that he would like to return to that job.
Bob Knight retired with the most wins in Division I men's college basketball history, 973, a mark later surpassed by one of his former players, Mike Krzyzewski. This season also marks the 50th anniversary of the senior Knight's first starting team, which happens to be the last undefeated men's national champion.
