Bob Knight makes successful return to basketball in first game at Texas Tech

<br>LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) _ Bob Knight made an animated, successful return to college basketball, more than a year after the volatile coach was fired by Indiana University for violating a zero-tolerance

Saturday, November 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) _ Bob Knight made an animated, successful return to college basketball, more than a year after the volatile coach was fired by Indiana University for violating a zero-tolerance behavior policy.

Knight's Texas Tech team defeated William & Mary on Friday 75-55 in what marked the first game in 20 months for a coach who won three titles at Indiana.

``There was no question in my mind if I wanted to coach again I would,'' said Knight. ``It's not like they found me on a barren island at the last second.''

Knight walked onto the court biting his lip and looking down. He pulled up the right sleeve on his black sweater before tipoff, then stretched his arms in disgust after his team's first possession.

The Red Raiders saw a 21-point lead late in the first half shrink to nine midway through the second half, but they remained in control, sticking to the motion offense and tight man-to-man defense their new coach is teaching.

Knight, often known for his courtside outbursts, was fired in September of 2000 after an incident involving a freshman student who said ``Hey, what's up, Knight?'' The coach grabbed the student's arm and lectured him about manners, believing the greeting was disrespectful.

Knight took last season off and returned to basketball this year with at Texas Tech.