Bob King (basketball)
King coached basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Mel Daniels, and Don Nelson.
The success of his New Mexico teams led to the construction of The Pit, the home venue of the Lobos, and its court is named after him.
He lettered in baseball as a freshman at the University of Iowa before graduating in three years with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education in 1947.
In ten seasons as Lobo head coach, King compiled a record of 175–89 (.663), the second most coaching wins in team history, with two Western Athletic Conference (WAC) titles, three appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), and the school's first NCAA tournament bid.
[7] King instilled fundamental principles of the game, running a disciplined offense and a relentless, pressure defense, building his early teams around dominant centers.
[5][6] His first Lobo squad was led by future ABA-standout Ira Harge, who transferred to New Mexico from a Junior College in Iowa.
They defeated Drake and upset NYU before losing in the championship game to Bradley, finishing the season 23–6, the most wins in program history at that point.
Harge averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds as a Lobo and was honored as "the most prolific scorer in the history of the school" at the time.
Daniels averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds a game as a three-year starter (1964–67), leading the team to a combined 54–24 record and two more NIT appearances.
[10][11] After his playing career, Daniels joined King's staff at Indiana State as an assistant, and he later worked in the Pacers front office for over twenty years.
The team was the most balanced squad King had at New Mexico, with four players averaging in double-figures, led by Ron Nelson with 19.5 points per game.
Long averaged 23.9 points a game in both his final two seasons, earning All-WAC recognition both years and Helms All-American status as a senior.
He had hoped to take over as Athletics Director, as the current AD was set to retire in 1973, but after he was passed over for the job, perhaps due to state politics, King resigned.
[20][21] King was hired as Athletics Director at Indiana State, serving from 1974 to 1980, transforming the program and leading it to national prominence.
[1][22] Under King the ISU football program elevated to Division I status, and the school joined the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).
King and assistant coach Bill Hodges recruited Larry Bird, who had started school the previous year at Indiana University but quit before basketball season began.
[30] The team finished the season strong, winning eight out of ten but losing at Creighton in the conference tournament final.
Shortly before practices for the 1978–79 season started, King suffered a heart attack followed by a brain aneurysm and was forced to relinquish his coaching duties.
[33] The team completed its pre-conference schedule undefeated, including a win at eventual Big Ten champion Purdue, and they climbed into the national rankings.
[34][35] Early in the conference season, Hodges had become frustrated with opponents breaking the ISU press and asked King to attend practice.
ISU sixth man Bob Heaton hit a half court desperation shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime, and the Sycamores edged the Aggies in the extra period.
[34] King had encouraged Nicks to transfer to a junior college for his sophomore season to hone his game, and the strategy had paid off.
[42] In 1981 King returned to New Mexico, where he lived in Albuquerque and Belen and regularly attended Lobo games at The Pit.
[6] A public memorial service was held at The Pit, attended by hundreds of mourners and former players, including Bird, Daniels, Harge, and Ron Nelson.
Daniels noted how King had taught him to prepare, on the court and in the classroom, and that he treated his players with respect, which they readily returned.
