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Knight did it his way: the wrong way
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As you may already know, Bobby Knight surpassed the legendary Dean Smith on New Year's Day for most career victories in collegiate men's basketball with 880 wins.

But the only thing the Hall of Fame coaches have in common, or now had in common, was the number 879.

It's difficult to undermine 879 victories. Picture this: you would have to average 30 wins per year for almost 30 years to duplicate this feat.

However, the road to 880 wins has not been a first-class ride for Knight, aka "The General." In fact, it probably needed to be repaved 25 years ago.

Knight is one of NCAA Division I college basketball's most divisive coaches in terms of his behavior and actions. And during his journey he has been arrested for physical assault, berated university officials, used derogatory remarks, and has shown a cantankerous and belligerent nature time and time again during televised interviews.

On the other hand, Smith operated on a completely different level; a higher level.

During his tenure as head coach of the University of North Carolina, Smith ran a clean program and held a high graduation rate for his players at 96.6 percent. He helped promote desegregation by recruiting UNC's first black scholarship athlete (Charlie Scott) and pushed for equal treatment for blacks by local businesses.

Smith was and still is an ambassador to college basketball; Knight remains an ignoramus, combative micromanager lucky enough to even have a head coaching position.

Although it took him five additional years to pass Smith, Knight has won three NCAA Championships, one more than Smith. But when comparing the two figures, one must look past the personal accolades and evaluate them from a much greater view, a humane perspective.

Smith used his God-given attributes to create basketball techniques which have enhanced the game. The "tired signal," huddling at the free-throw line and "Senior Day" are just a few of his countless contributions. And have you ever noticed after a player scores, he then points to a teammate who passed him the ball? That's correct: Smith again.

The only pointing Knight does is by use of his extended middle finger, usually in the direction of an official.

Strategically, Smith is known for his execution of the four corners offense, a tactic for stalling with a lead near the end of a game. Smith perfected it, forcing the NCAA to institute a shot clock to speed up play.

Furthermore, Smith is one of the most humble figures in all of sports, choosing not to partake in useless reality shows but rather shy away from the spotlight, unlike his counterpart who apparently enjoys the microphone and camera ("Knight School").

Meanwhile, Knight continues to mount controversies based on his explosive and implosive demeanor toward players, the media and school administrators.

Yet Dean Smith was one of the first to call and congratulate Bobby Knight upon reaching the milestone.

Now that's first class.