Ron Felling, the legendary Illinois high school coach who later spent more than a decade on Bob Knight's staff at Indiana, died Tuesday, according to his family. He was a giant in the basketball world, known for his sharp shooting expertise and his deep, complicated history with the Hoosier program.
Felling came to Indiana after a remarkable 16-season run at Lawrenceville High School in Illinois, where he won four state championships. But it was his second season in Bloomington that would become part of college basketball lore—the winter of 1987, when Knight won his third national championship. Felling was widely regarded as one of the sport's elite shooting coaches, working with some of Knight's all-time greats, including Steve Alford and Jay Edwards.
His journey to IU was as unconventional as his coaching style. Hired to replace Jim Crews (who left for Evansville), Felling got the call from Knight in the middle of the night. On March 29, 1985, just hours after IU lost to UCLA in the NIT final, Knight rang Felling past 2 a.m.
"I say, 'If this is Bob, you just got your ass kicked by UCLA,'" Felling recalled to IndyStar's Gregg Doyel in 2020. "He says, 'I want you to come work for me next year.'"
That first season in Bloomington was the one chronicled in John Feinstein's famous book, A Season on the Brink. Feinstein described the bond between the two coaches, noting, "Felling and Knight were almost the same age—Felling the elder by nine months. They shared a passion for country music and basketball. But where Knight was consumed by basketball, Felling often felt the need to escape from it."
Felling worked for Knight from 1985 until 1999, when their relationship soured after a physical confrontation in Felling's office. Knight pushed him to the ground, leading to a lawsuit. Despite the fallout, Felling's impact on the program—and on the shooters he helped develop—remained undeniable.
For fans of Indiana basketball and anyone who appreciates the art of a pure jump shot, Ron Felling's legacy is woven into the fabric of the game. He was more than an assistant; he was a master of his craft, a sharpshooter's whisperer who helped bring a national title to Bloomington.