Bob Knight may have broken NCAA rules

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Ex-Indiana University coach Bob Knight appears to have broken NCAA rules by helping his coach son recruit two players to Lamar University's team, a report said.

Knight, the Hall of Fame coach who led Indiana to three national titles, talked to two players as his son Pat Knight tried to recruit them to play at Lamar, where he is in his first season as coach, the Indianapolis Star reported.

The two Indiana high school players, Jason Smith and Donnell Minton, have committed to playing at Lamar in Beaumont, Texas.

The Star said NCAA rules generally forbid anyone other than basketball staff members and designated exceptions to recruit players.

Speaking of his conversation with Bob Knight, Minton said, "He told me that he thought I'd be a good fit for the program and said he hoped he'd see me at Lamar."

The Star said the Beaumont Enterprise reported last week that the two players had attended a Lamar football game and talked with Bob Knight by phone.

NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson declined to comment on the Lamar recruiting because he didn't know details but said calls to prospects generally can be made only by coaching staff or others including the university president and academic advisers.

Jason Henderson, Lamar's interim athletic director and compliance director, said in an e-mail the school is "working through our internal process along with consultation with the Southland Conference and NCAA."

Pat Knight told the Beaumont Enterprise he didn't know having his father talk to recruits would violate NCAA rules.

"It was a quick hello on the phone and that was it," Pat Knight said. "We recruited the heck out of the kids. He had nothing to do with that. I mean, he just was excited we were recruiting Indiana again and wanted to say hello to them and that was it."