Speaking Saturday at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, Ind., former Indiana coaching legend Bob Knight made some critical comments directed at John Calipari and the Kentucky men’s basketball program. Knight’s comments were part of a lecture in which he outlined his coaching career from the beginning to the present day.Asked by an audience member if Calipari was good for college basketball, Knight said, “I’m sure if I was a Kentucky fan I would.” When the crowd member said, “You don’t believe that,” Knight responded, “I’m not a Kentucky fan.”Knight’s comments then turned from critical to scornful. When Knight described his greatest thrill in coaching, which he said was graduating student-athletes, he took another swipe at Kentucky by talking about “a situation in college basketball” that bothers him “beyond anything that’s ever bothered” him in his coaching career.

“Kentucky, year before last, started five players in the NCAA Tournament games that had not been to class that semester,” Knight said.Knight called it “that one-and-done philosophy” in describing a current college basketball atmosphere that lacks integrity. Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart took obvious exception to Knight’s comments and delivered an official response Monday.”The University of Kentucky, our student-athletes and their families take great offense to the blatantly erroneous comments made by Bob Knight that ‘Kentucky, year before last, started five players in the NCAA Tournament games that had not been to class that semester,’ ” Barnhart said in a statement. “Academic performance has always been a priority at UK and it’s unfortunate that, although every starter from the 2010 season finished the spring semester in good academic standing, these myths exist. Our men’s basketball team’s (Academic Progress Rate) score reflects our attention to academic progress and our student-athletes take great pride in representing the University of Kentucky on and off the floor.”Saturday’s comments were not the first time Knight has ripped Calipari. In 2009, Knight questioned the integrity of college basketball by using Calipari as an example.Calipari took the high road after those comments a year and a half ago.”I’m a big fan,” Calipari said in December 2009. “I respect (Bob Knight) as a basketball coach; always have. I don’t agree with what he said, but it doesn’t change how I feel about him.”