For all the cacophony of noise, good and bad, that built up the anticipation to Bob Knight’s return to Assembly Hall, the first moments of his homecoming were muted.
Knight slowly shuffled through the southeast tunnel of Assembly Hall, assisted by former players Quinn Buckner and Steve Green and Knight’s son Pat, all of it projected onto the videoboard hanging over Branch McCracken Court.
The crowd knew what was coming.
There was no secretive aspect to the impending moment, the one everyone could see was about to take place.
Nearly 20 years of confusion, frustration and distrust were about to fade away at halftime of Saturday’s game between Indiana and Purdue.