Isiah Thomas

Posted on: January 6, 2025 at 12:17:49 CT

Good article on some of the greats that played for him
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-11-01/coach-bob-knight-passes-away-83
In all, Knight coached nine Big Ten MVPs and 27 All-Americans at IU. His first Big Ten MVP was Steve Downing, who earned the honor in 1973 after leading Knight's second Hoosier team to the program's first Big Ten title in six years and its first Final Four trip in 20 seasons. The next to win the award was Scott May, the Big Ten's MVP in both 1975 and 1976 who also became Knight's first National Player of the Year in 1976. Calbert Cheaney became Knight's second National Player of the Year in 1993 after guiding IU to a Big Ten title, an Elite Eight berth, and becoming the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer with 2,613 points, a mark that stands to this day.

The list of Knight's legendary IU players doesn't end there. Far from it. Quinn Buckner was a two-time All-American, a three-time Big Ten champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and a future NBA champion whom Knight often referenced as the greatest leader in program history. Isiah Thomas was a 1981 All-American who guided IU to the NCAA title that same season before going on to a Hall of Fame and championship professional career with the NBA's Detroit Pistons. Steve Alford was a Big Ten MVP and two-time All-American who led the 1987 team to an NCAA title. And current IU coach Mike Woodson was a two-time All-American and 1980 Big Ten MVP who was Knight's first IU player to score 2,000 career points.