The controversial coach known for his fury and feats is getting endless tributes. Rob Knight breathed his last on Wednesday and left his family, friends and fans in a mournful state. The former Indiana Hoosiers head coach’s list of accomplishments look difficult to emulate even for the best in the game. The media outlets are filled with remembrances from his life and in one such program, a rare fact about the coach was highlighted.

Sports journalist Stephen A. Smith reminisced a stat about Knight that made his absence all the more pricky.

What did Stephen A. Smith say in his tribute?

Smith was joined by the former Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg on his ‘First Take’. The duo was paying tribute to Knight and remembering various instances from his life when Smith presented a piece of evidence regarding Knight’s greatness that had all the fans in splits: “One of the things that people don’t even realize about Bobby Knight was so miraculous about his illustrious coaching career is that he only coached one NBA All-Star in his entire career. That was Isiah Thomas. He had never coached another NBA All-Star. That level of success bereft of that level of talent, you gotta… You just marvel at it.”

Knight helped the Indiana Hoosiers to clinch the NCAA Championship title thrice. “The General” also provided the impetus to five Final Four appearances, and won the Big Ten season eleven times. He was only one of the three coaches to bag an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA title, and an NIT title.

Overall, the Ohio-born had 902 games in his favor – a record he held at the time of his retirement. His success at the national level was due to his astute coaching and sporting acumen. He brought the motion offense to the notice of the mass audience. Bob’s method involved passing the ball among his players while reacting to the defense until one of his players could be open for a jump shot.

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Coach K was his assistant once but later their relation was strained. His game alertness can be gauged from the fact that he coached only one NBA All-Star – Isiah Thomas. His victories mostly were a result of his game instincts.

The Family Obituary

Knight was with his family and friends during his last time. As per reports, he was hospitalized for an illness in April and had been in poor health for a long period of time. 

His family released their statement at his passing away on his website. He was residing in Bloomington at the time of his death. 

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Knight’s achievements have been registered in basketball books and will be long praised by the generations to come. With his passing away, he has left behind a void in the hearts of fans that cannot be filled by anyone.