Texas Tech basketball: My favorite in-person memories as a Red Raider

Attending the first game at the USA

The first Texas Tech basketball game I ever attended in person took place on November 19, 1999.  That wasn’t just any game though.  It was the first-ever contest held at the United Supermarkets Arena.

Making the evening all the more unforgettable was that night’s opponent, Indiana, which was led by head coach Bob Knight.  Of course, at that time, none of us in the arena knew that in less than two years, The General would be roaming the sidelines at the U.S.A. on a full-time basis.

But we will get to that in just a moment.  For now, though, don’t forget how famous (or in some cases, infamous) Knight was in the American sports landscape.

Still considered one of the top coaches in the nation at the time despite being over seven years removed from his last Final Four appearance, Knight had become more known for the controversies that had come to define his career than on-court success.

In 1994, he head-butted Sherron Wilkerson while screaming at him on the bench but said it was an accident.  Then, in 1999, he was investigated for battery after being accused of choking a man at a restaurant. No charges were field though.

So to see the imposing and infamous head coach stride out of the visitor’s tunnel that night was the most surreal of moments as I got to lay eyes on one of the most iconic coaching figures from my childhood.  It was also fantastic to see the students greet Knight with thousands of hunting targets while wearing camouflage and hunting orange in the wake of an October 1999 incident in which he accidentally shot a friend while hunting (the friend was not seriously injured).

As you probably know, Tech lost that game 68-60 after making things rather interesting in the final minute.  But the outcome of the game was less important for my fandom than the experience.

It was my first introduction to just how crazy the Texas Tech student body could be and how intense a nationally-relevant college basketball game is.  It was as good of an introduction as I could have had to what Red Raider basketball had the potential to become.  Unfortunately, I would have to wade through two seasons of horrible basketball before I experienced that type of hype in the U.S.A. again.