GREENWOOD – Sparks of the feisty, cursing college coach with a wicked sense of humor showed up Thursday as Bob Knight spoke to hundreds for 90 minutes at Center Grove High School.

But there were also uncomfortable moments as the former IU basketball coach seemed to forget his wife had already been introduced, said former player Landon Turner had passed away and repeated a story about a game — replacing Damon Bailey for Michael Jordan as the subject of the anecdote.

"It was sad to watch," said Brett Cripe, who purchased a last-minute ticket at the door for "An Evening With Bob Knight." "To see someone who was once so vibrant and with it this way."

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Knight, who sat in a chair on stage next to friend and former Bloomington Herald-Times editor Bob Hammel, would stare into the audience without reacting as Hammel told stories about the coach and his legendary career. When Hammel finished, more than 20 times, Knight said to him, "Well, I'm surprised you knew that."

The first time he said it, the audience erupted into laughter. As it continued, concern grew.

Knight's health was recently called into question after IU broadcaster Don Fischer said he was "not well" during a February appearance on "The Drive with Jack & Tom," a radio show based out of Lansing, Mich.

Fischer later told IndyStar he had no first-hand knowledge of Knight's health status, but later sent a statement reiterating the coach's health "has declined." Hammel did not return an email from IndyStar seeking comment regarding the coach's health at that time.

Knight's health wasn't mentioned Thursday. Though, at one point — 36 minutes into the event — Hammel said, "I meant to tell you all earlier, by the way, I'm 82 and Bob is 78. Now, if you have a grandpa or great grandpa that age, I guarantee you A: his memory isn't what it used to be; and B: probably his hearing isn't very good, either."

There were moments throughout the appearance in which Knight was endearing and charming, and had a fiery, quick wit.

At one point, as an audience member asked him his advice on coaching mental toughness, Knight's cellphone rang. "Hang on," Knight said.

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"What the hell do you want?" he answered the caller. "Well, I'm busy. Can you give me a call, give me a call in about a month. All right, well, call me in a little bit. Well, hell yes I'm busy. What do you think? You know, I don't just sit around on my ass like you do."

Knight displayed emotion at times and mentioned five times that the best days of his life were when he coached IU. The first time he said it, he got a standing ovation. The second time, the crowd clapped. In subsequent mentions, the audience didn't react.

At one point, Hammel introduced his and Knight's wives, who were sitting in the audience. Five minutes after the women had been introduced, Knight interrupted a story to ask if his wife was there. "Where are you?" He spotted her and said. "Please stand."

"OK, well the reason I ask you is because my wife is so ... she's without any exception the smartest person I've ever known and she was a damn good coach and I actually would listen to her."

Knight prompted confusion when a man asked him for an update on Landon Turner, who played for IU until he was paralyzed in an auto accident in July 1981 between his junior and senior seasons.

"Well, Landon was just a great kid. He started out (and) really didn't care about class attendance. I got that straightened out pretty quickly," he said. "It was a really, I think probably in my lifetime even there with my parents, it would be like losing him was like losing my parents. He was a great kid."

Some members of the audience turned to one another: "Did Landon Turner die?"

Hammel seemed to help Knight remember that Turner hadn't died. He mentioned to Knight that he was paralyzed and praised how Turner had gone on to live a life where he contributed, "rather than feeling sorry for himself."

Next, Hammel said he was going to read a list of really great basketball players who lost their final college game to Knight and IU in the NCAA tournament. First on the list was Michael Jordan. "What do you think about him?" Hammel asked Knight.

Knight said Jordan was one of the best players of all time, then turned to Hammel, "What was that one when ... what was that little story when Jordan called time out?"

Hammel started talking about the Olympics gold medal game Knight coached in 1984, when the U.S.beat Spain by more than 30 points.

"No, it was toward the end of the game he called time out," Knight said. "And so there wasn't that much time left, maybe, I think there was four minutes on the clock."

"He was still in there?" Hammel asked, surprised Jordan would be in with the U.S. ahead by so many.

"He was still in there; if you'll be quiet, I'll get to it," Knight said.

"Jordan, he was just one of a kind. So he called time out and I wondered what it was and so I had to get up and I walked out on the floor. I'll never forget. This is about my favorite thing in coaching," Knight said. "I said, 'Mike what is it?' And he says. 'Coach, just take a look at the clock. We've already beaten their ass.'"

Minutes later when a 10-year-old boy stood up and asked about Damon Bailey, Knight didn't respond. So Hammel started talking about the four national championships Bailey had won with AAU by the time he was in eighth grade.

Knight interrupted: "'Isn't that when Bailey called time out with about four minutes to play in the game? I got out to see what was going on. He said, 'Coach, I just wanted you to check the score. It's over.'"

Mary Wicker, who was standing outside talking to her sister after the performance, said she felt sorry for Knight.

"I know people will say he was acting off tonight," she said. "But I think people should understand he was great at one time and remember that."

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.