Marian University Hiring Pat Knight as its Basketball Coach

Marian University is set to hire Pat Knight, the son of former Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight, as its next head coach. Steve Downing, who played for the Hoosiers under Knight, is the Director of Athletics at Marian, which has played exhibition games against Indiana the last two seasons.

Mar 10, 2012; Katy, TX, USA; Lamar Cardinals head coach Pat Knight coaches against the McNeese State / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Pat Knight, the son of legendary Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight, will be the next head basketball coach at Marian University, an NAIA program in Indianapolis, as first reported by On3's Talia Goodman.

"I am really excited for Pat Knight, Steve Downing, and the basketball program at Marian," Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "Pat is a great young man, an exceptional coach, and will do wonderful things while coming home to work for such a great university."

Scott Heady coached Marian the last seven seasons, but on Friday he stepped down to become the head basketball coach at the University of Indianapolis, an NCAA Division II program.

Heady had a 168-56 overall record and an 85-39 mark against Crossroads League opponents. He took Marian to the NAIA Tournament all seven seasons, including a run to the semifinals in 2018-19, the deepest in program history.

Marian's Director of Athletics is Steve Downing, who played under Bob Knight at Indiana from 1970-73. In 1973, Downing was named Big Ten Player of the Year and helped Indiana reach the Final Four. Knight passed away on Nov. 1, 2023, and the Hoosiers wore commemorative "RMK" patches on their jerseys to honor the three-time national champion coach.

Indiana has hosted an exhibition game against Marian at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall each of the last two seasons, and it wouldn't be surprising to see that continue with Pat Knight on the sidelines. Knight has worked as a scout for the Indiana Pacers since 2014, following his run as Lamar University's coach from 2011-14.

Pat previously spent 11 years at Texas Tech as an assistant from 2001-08 and as the head coach from 2008-11. Downing was an associate athletic director when Bob coached the Red Raiders in the early 2000s. Pat was also an assistant at Akron and Indiana, and he has a 79-123 record as a head coach.

Pat played for his father at Indiana from 1991-95, averaging 1.2 points, 1.2 assists and 0.8 rebounds per game across 112 appearances and five starts in four seasons.