BLOOMINGTON – Indiana announced plans this week to install granite sculptures commemorating its five national championship teams outside the south lobby of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The monuments, which were made possible thanks to a gift from Bill and Juanita Beach, will be in place in time for Hoosier Hysteria on Saturday.

“They’re all based upon iconic imagery with which people will be familiar,” IU Athletics Director Fred Glass said. “There’s sort of different styles, but all connected to imagery that already exists in the annals of IU basketball.”

The only glaring absence? Legendary former coach Bob Knight.

According to a news release announcing the sculptures, Knight asked not to be depicted, specifically in the piece honoring his undefeated 1976 national championship team. Knight, who has been largely estranged from his former program since his firing in 2000, coached three of the Hoosiers’ five national championship squads.

Glass said it is IU policy to seek permission to include persons in any bust, sculpture or depiction, either directly or via descendants.

“He declined and we respect that,” Glass said.

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Glass did say he was pleased that a handful of former players who haven’t been familiar faces around IU basketball in recent years did agree to be included.

“We list the guys from the ’76 team, and they’re the starters and the seniors. Not all those guys have been around a lot over the last several years, but I think the reunion we had a couple years ago, all those guys came back,” Glass said. “All the guys you’d expect to be depicted in that sculpture are depicted in that sculpture.”

Aiming not to spoil Saturday’s surprise, Glass wouldn’t elaborate much beyond that. But he said he is excited to gather fans’ reactions to the newest additions to a renovated Assembly Hall.

“These,” Glass said, “are really dramatic, cool, well-done, artistic, larger-than-life, literally and figuratively, commemorations of iconic moments in IU basketball history.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.