11.1.23 - JR Interview with Randy Wittman

Imagine you're looking at a balancing scale, with everything you do for other people on one side, and everything you do for yourself on the other side.

If it isn't balanced, maybe it's time to spend a little more time on you. And therapy is a great place to start. BetterHelp connects you with a licensed therapist online who can help you find that balance and stick to it. Visit BetterHelp.com slash positive to get 10% off your first month.

That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. Let's face the facts. Everyone wants to feel valued, especially your employees. In fact, a 2023 study found 78% of business owners say benefits and retirement plans improve employee retention. Employees want to feel secure in their jobs and their finances. At Principle, we help you invest in your people.

Because investing in your people is investing in your business. Learn more at Principle.com slash benefits. Products and services offered by member companies of the Principle Financial Group, Des Moines, Iowa.

For important information, visit Principle.com slash disclosures. Right now, we're going to talk with someone and have a conversation with an individual who played under Bobby Knight, won a national championship in 1981, played in the NBA for 10 years, was the head coach more recently of the Wizards, the T-Wolves, and also the Cavs. Right now, joining us is Coach Randy Whitman. Coach, how are you? Great. Well, it's a sad day, but I'm doing good. I certainly understand that.

I appreciate you taking the time to hop on. Well, I just gave out your resume in the most brief way possible. I know you're from Indiana, Indianapolis. What drew you to Bob Knight and IU?

Well, the better question is, what didn't draw me there? When I was a kid growing up, obviously, I grew up in Indianapolis. Indiana University is in Bloomington, which is about a 50-minute car ride from Indianapolis. As a kid growing up, Coach Knight came to Indiana in 1971, 1972, and shortly thereafter took a team to the Final Four with Steve Downing. George McGinnis had left the year prior to go to the pros, but took Steve Downing and an Indiana team. He was a very young coach at that time, obviously. Took them to the Final Four and they got beat by UCLA in the semifinals. If you look back at the game, which probably isn't any video of it anymore around, but I remember watching it. They got beat by UCLA, which was in a dynasty at that time.

That was my first look of, you know, what? I love Indiana basketball. Then, obviously, as the years went on, 1975 really stood out. I graduated from high school in 1978, and so as the years came on from 1971-1972 to the 1975 season where they were undefeated. Scott May broke his arm at the end of that year, and they got beat by Kentucky 92-90 in the regional finals. Then came back the next year in 1976 and went undefeated and won the national championship.

They basically went, I think, 65-1 in those two years. As a kid growing up in Indiana, where else are you going to want to go? That was always a dream of mine as a kid growing up. If I could ever go to Indiana, I would. I still remember the first day coach Knight came into my house and basically said, would you come to Indiana if I gave you a scholarship?

I said on the spot that I would. Back in those days, you could take five visits to schools, and I didn't take a visit. Once coach offered me a scholarship, I accepted, and the rest is history.

Randy Whitman is here with us at the JR Sport Reshow CBS Sports Radio. Not only did you go to Indiana, but you won a championship. We know some of the names that you played with, from an Isaiah Thomas to a Ray Tolbert. What is the biggest basketball lesson, especially as you moved on into coaching, what is the biggest basketball lesson that you learned from coach Knight?

Honesty and straightforwardness. I mean, coach Knight was probably of all the coaches that I've ever had, from grade school, high school. Obviously, I was under him in college, but into the pros for 10 years. You knew exactly where you stood with him. If you're not playing, you knew why, and you knew what you had to do if you wanted to play more. If you were playing, you knew why and what you had to do to continue to play. You knew he was as upfront and honest with player number one, being the best player, being the player number 15, being the guy at the end of the bench. That was something that I always took with me once I got out of playing and into coaching. You know what, there's not going to be any indecision in my players of understanding why they aren't playing and what do they need to do to become a player or playing more. That was something that I always cherished. As a player, you don't want to be fooled or lied to or whatever.

You want to know exactly where you stand. That was something that you always knew with Coach Knight. Was he tough to play for? Absolutely. Could everybody play for him?

No. Coming in, you had to have a certain amount of self-discipline. You had to have a work ethic. If you had those two things and you were willing to do those things, you could survive and you could flourish playing for Coach Knight. That was something that I always took from him and then into my coaching when I got into coaching. You went out there and coached as well.

Ten years of playing in the league. We talked about your time coaching with the Wizards and Timberwolves and Cavs. Last question for you, Coach Whitman. I asked you what you learned from Bobby Knight as a coach.

We can go on YouTube and see the sound bites and a lot of his just exists. Things that he said, things that he might have regretted. What memory stands out to you? What doesn't the public or what didn't the public see or understand with Bobby Knight? There are things we all do. That we look back on and say, if I could take that back, I'd probably do it differently. He was no different. The thing that people don't understand, he would admit his mistakes and correct and maybe do something differently if he had to do it over again. The one thing that people never, they always took the negative of his persona on the floor.

His yelling, his screaming. But as much as he got on you as a coach when you did wrong, he was there as much if not more when you did do the right things of patting you on the back and telling you how good you are doing. That was something that was never portrayed to the public, that he ever did that. Like I said, you knew exactly where you stood with him and where you were.

And that and his ability for us to become men. He was never a guy that was ever going to coach in the NBA. He knew that the way he coached, the way his style was, was not going to work. And so he never cherished that I want to get my players into the NBA. What he wanted you to do is when you graduated from school, when you went into an interview for IBM or GE or whoever, that when you went into that interview, you were going to get the job.

You were going to be the best at that interview to get the job. And he created that through basketball and instilled into us. Luckily, I was able to go ahead and play in the NBA and coach in the NBA, but there's so many people that don't make it there. But he created into them the ability to compete in a job setting and get the job.

And that's what people just, they had no understanding. I mean, the amount of money that this man put into the library at Indiana University over the course of his 30 plus years is unbelievable. A teammate of mine, we won the national championship in 1981, Landon Turner, who I spoke with tonight, obviously, I've spoken to a lot of my teammates tonight after the passing of coach, Isaiah Thomas being one of them, Landon Turner being another one of them. And as we won the national championship, Landon Turner was in an automobile accident and broke his neck and was paralyzed from the waist down after that. And Isaiah turns pro. And as I told both of those guys today, I think Landon Turner would have probably been the best professional NBA player of all of us, even Isaiah, if he hadn't gotten hurt. He was one of the first guys at 611 that was a power forward that could guard out on the floor that could do the things that guys are doing today. But back in 1980s that nobody ever could do.

But he breaks his neck and is paralyzed. And coach Knight that next year, when at a fundraising exhibition that I've never that I've never seen before to raise money to put into a trust, well, that Landon Turner could we have to hit the break. I want to I want to ask if you can hold on one second and join us right on the other side. Coach Randy Whitman, you're back with us. Yes, sir. Well, thank you so much, coach. We know that your time is short and I appreciate it. You were saying right before we went to break.

I posed the question to you. A lot of us know about the criticisms and the accolades of Bobby Knight. And I was just asking for your own personal thoughts for people who might look maybe a whole lot more at the negative than the positive and just sharing your personal experience.

Well, like I said, we all have our flaws in life. And I think a lot of the times through coach Knight and and media, things were more blown out of proportion on what antics he might have. But as as player being a player for him and and I played five years, I was redshirt a year because I was hurt.

There was I would I would never there was never a thought of ever not doing what I did or second thoughts of playing there. I mean, I have children of my own and I would let him coach my children. I mean, what he instills in you as a young boy going to college at 17, 18 years old and what you develop there under his tutelage, not from just a basketball standpoint, from a life standpoint is is the things that people just don't understand.

As we were talking prior to the break, he was not a big NBA guy. He knew he couldn't coach in the NBA with the way he coached. And his his idea of success for his players wasn't how many players he could get in the NBA. It was how many players he could get into life and be successful in life after leaving his program. And to instill in you the ability to go win a job, to win an interview and a job, not not to go to the NBA. And it all correlated together. You could have been the best player, the Isaiah Thomas, the Landon Turner, the Mike Woodson, Scott May, Quinn Buckners, or you could be somebody that never played but was on the team, but now is a head of a law firm or whatever.

That's what his main focus was. And I can just attest to you from my parents who are still alive at 90 and 91 years old, today are grieving more than anybody of the passing of Coach Knight. And my mother and father after, I don't even know how many years it is now since I've left, 40 plus years since I've been in school, still get a Christmas card every year from Coach Knight and his wife.

And that's just the things that people don't understand. They always look at the negative things and things that he's done, but this man was an incredible man. He did so much for me and my family still to his dying day that I'm never going to be able to repay him for that will last an eternity for me. Coach Randy Whitman joining us here, CBS Sports Radio, the JR Sport Brief Show. Coach, I want to thank you for coming by and sharing your personal perspective.

There are a whole lot more people who only read the headlines and can click on YouTube and read up about Coach Knight, but there are very few who have the perspective you do. So my condolences to you and I appreciate you for taking the time and joining us. Well, thanks for having me on.

Like I said, very sad day, but one, we'll celebrate this man's life and the accomplishments that he has and our prayer, thoughts and prayers are out to his family as well. And Coach Randy Whitman, thank you for the time joining us here, the JR Sport Brief Show on CBS Sports Radio. Hey everyone, you've probably heard us talking about Magnificent Jerk. It's a story about discovering family secrets buried in a low budget 90s thriller starring Rob Lowe and Ice-T. Magnificent Jerk takes you on a journey through Chinatown gangs, drug robberies, Hollywood reinvention and a family confronting its unspoken past. It's the true story about a fake story about a real life. Magnificent Jerk is an Apple original podcast produced by Pineapple Street Studios.

All episodes are available now. Follow and listen on Apple podcasts. Maybe you're still new to this whole EV thing, but those range fears? Turns out your all electric Hyundai Ionic 5 gets you to work and back all week on a single charge. And now every Ionic 5 comes with a complimentary EV charger and up to $600 installation credit. When it comes to embracing change, we're thinking of every mile. Hyundai, it's your journey. Call 562-314-4603 for complete details. 2023 Ionic 5 rear wheel drive has an EPA estimated driving range of up to 303 miles.

Actual range will vary with options, driving conditions and habits, vehicle and batteries condition and other factors. Available in limited quantities and select states only. This episode is brought to you by FX's A Murder at the End of the World, starring Emma Corrin, Clive Owen, and Britt Marling. Emma plays Darby Hart, a sleuth and tech savvy hacker. She joins an exclusive group invited to a retreat. When one of the guests is found dead, Darby must prove it was murder before the killer takes another life.

FX's A Murder at the End of the World, now streaming only on Hulu. Ew, gotta get rid of this old Backstreet Boys t-shirt. Tell me why. Because it stinks, boys. Tell me why. I've washed it so many times, but the odor won't come out.

Tell me why. No, you tell me why I can't get rid of this odor. Have you tried Downy Rinse and Refresh? It doesn't just cover up odors. It helps remove them. Wow, it worked, guys.

Yeah. Downy Rinse and Refresh removes more odor in one wash than the leading value detergent in three washes. Find it wherever you buy laundry products.