kelvin sampson redux

[coachv jr]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

 

[h20pls]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

Jeez...I hope not...guy can coach.

Long story short. I have a friend close to the IU Athletic department. I was just moving into the Sampson camp (I was not a big fan of the hire...but was beginning to get on board with the basketball I was seeing).

I ask him one day "what do you think of Sampson?" He replies. "He thinks he's above the rules. I was golfing in a foursome with him and he kept cheating." Four days later the 'scandal' commenced.

I hope he has righted his ship...

 

[Brewskie]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

He can coach, for sure. IU didn't get hammered because of some text messages that are legal now. We got hammered because our coach lied to the university and NCAA officials and tried to cover it up. Oh, and he was a repeat offender. He knew what he was doing was wrong while he was doing it, but still did it anyway. If I was an AD, I would say, no thanks.

 

[iubud]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

My first thought is did your shift key break?

Second, I know he can coach and could end up in the B1G. My issue with him is he committed the same infraction at IU that he did at Oklahoma then lied about it. He didn't respect the job or the school enough to refrain from taking an unnecessary risk. It was foolish and he paid the price. He would do well at another conference school.

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

It's been a decade, he should maybe be forgiven, but not by IU.

Leopards change their spots, but only the young, not the adults.

 

[ulrey]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

Houston beat lsu at Houston

 

[rocketo]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

To me it wasn’t the dumb broken text rule that he violated and was change by the NCAA the next year that was the problem. It was more about the character of the kids he brought in. Some not quite the types I would prefer.

 

[IUXC68]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

Why do you even bring this up at this point in time? Not sure what your point is. Are you advocating that IU rehire him, or do you somehow have some generalized sympathy for him? As far as I am concerned, because of his track record he should never have been hired at IU. Yes, he can coach, but that comes with a lot of "furr."

 

[IU? I'm Fine]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

Yeah, let's take another look at Kelvin Sampson.

I do believe in forgiveness. We all make mistakes. It is a blessing to not have to look backward to something that we are not proud of. To reinvent ourselves is a wonderful, progressive idea. It is helpful to all of us.

However, it should not be given without a little perspective on the bigger picture. Did Kelvin Sampson express any remorse, any regret, any restraint? And why is the NCAA fraught with rules violations that everyone ignores as long as there is an appearance of clean competition?

Sampson was cited for more than 550 impermissible calls by him and his staff to recruits. NCAA issued a probation on Sampson from recruiting off campus and making phone calls for one year. And to top that off, Sampson was the President of the NABC and their Ethics Committee reprimanded Sampson and put him on probation for 3 years. At IU Sampson committed 5 major rules violations. He lied to IU and NCAA officials. McRobbie apologized for hiring Sampson and admitted the mistake. IU got 3 year probation. Sampson got 5 year show cause order...stopping him from coaching in the NCAA during 5 years. And Eric Gordon pointed to drug use on the IU team. These issues contributed to the implosion of the team during Sampson's tenure.

So Sampson already has been given a second chance. He blew it. He violated the trust that IU gave him. He hurt those players, too. Not to mention, he took down this mighty program, again. And it was already down.

Also in the big picture is the laughable NCAA issues about appearing clean but not sweating the details. How does the NCAA change the willingness of adults that will cheat if there are little ramifications if they do. Weigh that against the multi-million dollar contracts they get. Should real consequences be levied when a coach cheats? Are we talking about banning a coach? Should the penalty be bigger than the incentive to cheat?

On a personal basis I could see forgiving Sampson if it is my place to do that...maybe. I'd rather just ignore him. And wherever he is their compliance effort should be huge not like it was at IU in the beginning.

As an institution, Indiana University, never. And the NCAA should drop the hammer on cheaters and ban them forever for major violations at some point. And IU's administration should be chastised until the next championship banner is raised at IU.

 

[coachv jr]

Why do you even bring this up at this point in time? Not sure what your point is. Are you advocating that IU rehire him, or do you somehow have some generalized sympathy for him? As far as I am concerned, because of his track record he should never have been hired at IU. Yes, he can coach, but that comes with a lot of "furr."

i brought it up because he is building something in houston and has proven to be a strong coach. i thought during a slow week it would be fun for discussion. of course i am not advocating for his return. if you do not want to participate, then don't.

 

[coachv jr]

To me it wasn’t the dumb broken text rule that he violated and was change by the NCAA the next year that was the problem. It was more about the character of the kids he brought in. Some not quite the types I would prefer.

as someone mentioned, eric gordon talked about that. i am sure the drug use was primarily smoking weed. i agree with you. my main problem was the type of player he brought in. apparently they weren't too keen on the classroom portion of student/athlete. from the pov of it takes one to know one...many players looked stoned on the court during games. ellis, basset, the big round guy in middle, deandre something. others i can't recall at the moment. perhaps sampson did that so that iu could win "now". and win we did. could be he was thinking of those guys as a quick fix and would move away from that type of character as he established his program. not a great idea in any event. i have no problem with a player having a little smoke to unwind at the end of the day but not ok with "wake and bake" while representing our university

 

[coachv jr]

Houston beat lsu at Houston

i sit corrected

 

[coachv jr]

My first thought is did your shift key break?

Second, I know he can coach and could end up in the B1G. My issue with him is he committed the same infraction at IU that he did at Oklahoma then lied about it. He didn't respect the job or the school enough to refrain from taking an unnecessary risk. It was foolish and he paid the price. He would do well at another conference school.

apparently he can win anywhere, anytime. my shift key is jammed up with junk food particles and marijuana stems

 

[coachv jr]

He can coach, for sure. IU didn't get hammered because of some text messages that are legal now. We got hammered because our coach lied to the university and NCAA officials and tried to cover it up. Oh, and he was a repeat offender. He knew what he was doing was wrong while he was doing it, but still did it anyway. If I was an AD, I would say, no thanks.

like houston, don't you think another ad is about to say "yes, thanks".

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

Yeah, let's take another look at Kelvin Sampson.

I do believe in forgiveness. We all make mistakes. It is a blessing to not have to look backward to something that we are not proud of. To reinvent ourselves is a wonderful, progressive idea. It is helpful to all of us.

However, it should not be given without a little perspective on the bigger picture. Did Kelvin Sampson express any remorse, any regret, any restraint? And why is the NCAA fraught with rules violations that everyone ignores as long as there is an appearance of clean competition?

Sampson was cited for more than 550 impermissible calls by him and his staff to recruits. NCAA issued a probation on Sampson from recruiting off campus and making phone calls for one year. And to top that off, Sampson was the President of the NABC and their Ethics Committee reprimanded Sampson and put him on probation for 3 years. At IU Sampson committed 5 major rules violations. He lied to IU and NCAA officials. McRobbie apologized for hiring Sampson and admitted the mistake. IU got 3 year probation. Sampson got 5 year show cause order...stopping him from coaching in the NCAA during 5 years. And Eric Gordon pointed to drug use on the IU team. These issues contributed to the implosion of the team during Sampson's tenure.

So Sampson already has been given a second chance. He blew it. He violated the trust that IU gave him. He hurt those players, too. Not to mention, he took down this mighty program, again. And it was already down.

Also in the big picture is the laughable NCAA issues about appearing clean but not sweating the details. How does the NCAA change the willingness of adults that will cheat if there are little ramifications if they do. Weigh that against the multi-million dollar contracts they get. Should real consequences be levied when a coach cheats? Are we talking about banning a coach? Should the penalty be bigger than the incentive to cheat?

On a personal basis I could see forgiving Sampson if it is my place to do that...maybe. I'd rather just ignore him. And wherever he is their compliance effort should be huge not like it was at IU in the beginning.

As an institution, Indiana University, never. And the NCAA should drop the hammer on cheaters and ban them forever for major violations at some point. And IU's administration should be chastised until the next championship banner is raised at IU.

Don't ever recall Sampson sincerely apologizing and falling on the proverbial sword or assuming responsibility in a way that indemnified IU for his actions. That will always be against him.

And you're right - unless and until there's a perception, and better still certain knowledge among universities and those they employ that there are real consequences for professional misconduct and cheating, nothing will really change.

 

[fpeaugh]

We didn’t get hammered by the NCAA. We self imposed everything because we don’t care about winning. Sampson sure can coach.

 

[coachv jr]

We didn’t get hammered by the NCAA. We self imposed everything because we don’t care about winning. Sampson sure can coach.

i agree we were not hammered by the ncaa because apparently they no longer do that sort of thing.player exodus killed the program

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

We self imposed everything because we don’t care about winning.

"We" is a fantasy to which only you subscribe. That aside, this rates as one of your dumbest statements ever.

 

[ufo33]

Kelvin Sampson was a better game coach than Crean, he just was arrogant about neglecting NCAA rules, even if they were stupid at the time and are now legal, especially since he was already on NCAA probation and then lied about it to the NCAA. The stupid part was that Sampson did not need to cheat at IU, he was not in non-basketball country where you have to "do a little extra" to get top recruits to go there to basketball nowhere-ville. Sampson's 2 year record at IU was 43-15, and 2 NCAA Tournament appearances.

 

[coachv jr]

Kelvin Sampson was a better game coach than Crean, he just was arrogant about neglecting NCAA rules, even if they were stupid at the time and are now legal, especially since he was already on NCAA probation and then lied about it to the NCAA. The stupid part was that Sampson did not need to cheat at IU, he was not in non-basketball country where you have to "do a little extra" to get top recruits to go there to basketball nowhere-ville. Sampson's 2 year record at IU was outstanding.

you are right that he should have realized he was situated in the middle of a basketball goldmine. who, nationally do you think might take a flyer on him this off season? ucla? oklahoma st?

 

[ORG]

i know a lot of us harbor hard feeling towards him and his tenure here, but perhaps it is time for another look at kelvin sampson? sampson is building quite the program down in houston and i believe, is headed for a 30 win season. they are currently undefeated and have taken down oregon, oklahoma st., and lsu on the road. there is no denying the guy can coach.

now i know he broke a ridiculous texting rule that never should have been a rule in the first place. that rule was probably there because some old men who make the rules didn't know what texting was. look, these types of rules are in place to give the student athlete a little more freedom from the barrage of coach phone calls which can suck up a kids entire day. if the rules really want to give the players some cushion, i think everyone would agree texting is far less intrusive than a phone call. the kids prefer it. hell, we all probably make way more texts than phone calls. i admit i was late getting on board because i am older but that makes my point. the next year the rule was rescinded because it was stupid. considering all the crooked big-time coaches where players are paid tens of thousands to play, and/or not having to bother with classes, sampsons transgressions seem meaningless. coach k, roy williams, bill self, boeheim, and many other coaches have been given the ncaa's blessing to build as dirty a program as they want while they look the other way.

in that light, i think we will see sampson receive one or more big school offers in the off season. could he end up back in the big ten? i could see minnesota as one possibility. if the wheels fall of in nebraska i could see them making a run at sampson. the natives are getting restless in maryland. if sampson goes there, i believe he could make a run at a national title. any other possibilities outside of the big ten? your thoughts?

t
I didn't like him when he was hired, I didn't like him when he was fired, and NOTHING has changed to make me change my mind now.

 

[ufo33]

t
I didn't like him when he was hired, I didn't like him when he was fired, and NOTHING has changed to make me change my mind now.

Thanks to Herbert. Sampson was a PC hire after Davis, but under a dark cloud of NCAA sanctions and a rules enforcement microscope for excessive phone calls. But IU should have never taken a coach who was reeling from NCAA sanctions at his last coaching stop. One of several misteps, poor decisions, and bad timing on coaching extensions that took IU almost 20 years to recover from, to right the ship. A long line of coaching, program leadership, and inept AD mistakes that has taken IU basketball this long to get out of the.woods.

 

[Epictetus]

A couple of off-court stories to illustrate what was lacking in Kelvin Sampson. I was a professor at the time (now retired) and was at a faculty luncheon at which he was the speaker--during his first semester. He strode in toward the end of the meal, walked up to the mic, and when people didn't put down their forks immediately, he made a snide comment to the effect that he'd start talking when they showed proper attention...and he didn't have a lot of time to waste. He proceeded to give a rather perfunctory performance.

Second, I knew George Taliaferro socially; we always chatted when we found ourselves at a social affair. Very early on, when I asked him his opinion of Sampson, he shook his head and said he was afraid that Sampson wasn't the man for this job. Apparently Sampson had been introduced to George, with some explanation of George's place in the IU "hall of heroes."

Well, the next weekend, George ran into Sampson at the parking lot of the golf course. Sampson didn't recognize him and didn't seem to care when George re-introduced himself.

It was a little thing, but an indicator of his egotism and sense of privilege. He was used to the culture at Oklahoma, where sports come first and he was treated as royalty.

 

[hondo314]

Thanks to Herbert. Sampson was a PC hire after Davis, but under a dark cloud of NCAA sanctions and an rules enforcement microscope for exvessive phone calls. But IU should have never taken a coach who was reeling from NCAA sanctions at his last coaching plstop. One of several misteps, poor decisions, and bad timing on coaching extensions that took almost 20 years to recover from and right the ship. A long line of coaching, program leadership, and inept AD mistakes that has taken IU basketball this long to get out of the.woods.

Not sure I ever bought the PC bit. Sampson wasnt an obvious choice at the time but was pretty accomplished. We think IU hired a Native American who had NCAA restrictions because our president was black? Tough to say without having any idea how it all went down. Was Sampson top of our list?

Not saying you guys are wrong just think this might be a lazy narrative...

 

[TR32]

I'm not sure Sampson leaves, but there will certainly be some major coaching spots to fill in the coming few years.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

Like others here I didn't like the text/3-way calls activity at all but I have zero tolerance for the culture of kids ( not all of them) that came in during the Sampson, Senderoff, Dakich era.l

 

[MacDee1975]

His idol is Eddie Sutton. I shit you not, I heard KS actually say that yesterday on the radio.

That should tell you all you need to know about Kelvin Sampson.

 

[MacDee1975]

A couple of off-court stories to illustrate what was lacking in Kelvin Sampson. I was a professor at the time (now retired) and was at a faculty luncheon at which he was the speaker--during his first semester. He strode in toward the end of the meal, walked up to the mic, and when people didn't put down their forks immediately, he made a snide comment to the effect that he'd start talking when they showed proper attention...and he didn't have a lot of time to waste. He proceeded to give a rather perfunctory performance.

Second, I knew George Taliaferro socially; we always chatted when we found ourselves at a social affair. Very early on, when I asked him his opinion of Sampson, he shook his head and said he was afraid that Sampson wasn't the man for this job. Apparently Sampson had been introduced to George, with some explanation of George's place in the IU "hall of heroes."

Well, the next weekend, George ran into Sampson at the parking lot of the golf course. Sampson didn't recognize him and didn't seem to care when George re-introduced himself.

It was a little thing, but an indicator of his egotism and sense of privilege. He was used to the culture at Oklahoma, where sports come first and he was treated as royalty.

Compare this story to the time I went to a game at Assembly Hall several years ago, and saw Landon Turner right in the middle of a huge crowd in the lobby, inside the entrance. He was having a very spirited and engaging conversation with an older, grey haired gentleman, that seemed to be lasting a decent amount of time. Landon was all smiles during this convo. After the conversation was over, the grey haired gentlemen shook his hand, with his other hand on Landon's shoulder, and walked away. It was Terry Hoeppner he'd been talking too.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

Compare this story to the time I went to a game at Assembly Hall several years ago, and saw Landon Turner right in the middle of a huge crowd in the lobby, inside the entrance. He was having a very spirited and engaging conversation with an older, grey haired gentleman, that seemed to be lasting a decent amount of time. Landon was all smiles during this convo. After the conversation was over, the grey haired gentlemen shook his hand, with his other hand on Landon's shoulder, and walked away. It was Terry Hoeppner he'd been talking too.

Saw LT at the Louisville game.

 

[IU? I'm Fine]

Like others here I didn't like the text/3-way calls activity at all but I have zero tolerance for the culture of kids ( not all of them) that came in during the Sampson, Senderoff, Dakich era.l

Just my opinion, but it is not really fair to imply that Sampson's recruits were partially Dakich's fault. Since Dakich became an IU coach June '07 the incoming recruits for the '07-08 season were already inked.

Some might say that Dakich could have blown the whistle soon after that. Or tried to change the culture, too. Who's to say he did or didn't during that 4 month period?

It is my understanding that he wasn't involved in the recruiting until he got onto the coaching bench in...uh...October '07?

I speculate that the AD Greenspan briefed Dakich to keep his eyes open about stuff when Dakich was hired. An internal investigation was performed by mid-October. So it had been going on for a while by then.

I don't like Dakich and his announcing gigs. He will say anything to get attention. And his opinion is that only he knows anything and everything got old early on. His patronizing attitude makes him a really bad choice of a head coach in today's world of...partnering and democratic consensus building.

As far as I can tell he was clean before joining IU's staff and during that tenure.

 

[abraxis]

As far as I am concerned, because of his track record he should never have been hired at IU.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe IU's Herbert, or the powers that be at the time, found his candidacy for the IU job attractive, not only for his Oklahoma coaching success, but also because it would be considered a minority hire with his Native American bloodline. To some people, that is considered the politically correct thing to do and it goes into the "+" column in the pros and cons of one's resume.

 

[abraxis]

It's been a decade, he should maybe be forgiven, but not by IU.

I always recall Tiger Woods' comment regarding IU faithful Fuzzy Zoeller's infamous off-the-cuff statement that was picked up by the national media and subsequently turned into a dumpster fire for Fuzzy's career "...ribs, watermelon...whatever it is those guys eat." Tiger, when asked for his reaction only said, "I can forgive, but I can never forget." Ominous words they were.

 

[HoosiersChamps]

"We" is a fantasy to which only you subscribe. That aside, this rates as one of your dumbest statements ever.

And that is really saying something.

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

And that is really saying something.

Amen - initially wrote the same before deleting.

 

[VanPastorMan]

It's been a decade, he should maybe be forgiven, but not by IU.

Leopards change their spots, but only the young, not the adults.

Has Calvin Samscum asked for forgiveness? Is there an article I missed because I don't remember him asking us to forgive him.

 

[VanPastorMan]

Jeez...I hope not...guy can coach.

Long story short. I have a friend close to the IU Athletic department. I was just moving into the Sampson camp (I was not a big fan of the hire...but was beginning to get on board with the basketball I was seeing).

I ask him one day "what do you think of Sampson?" He replies. "He thinks he's above the rules. I was golfing in a foursome with him and he kept cheating." Four days later the 'scandal' commenced.

I hope he has righted his ship...

When Calvin was hired I was talking to a high school buddy who was in the Air Force in Oklahoma (recruiter) and we talked about the coaching hire. He said, "Van, I don't know about him. There are a lot of reports about him being shady down here." I said to him, "Well, he won't do that at Indiana because he won't have to." I was wrong.

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

Not sure I ever bought the PC bit. Sampson wasnt an obvious choice at the time but was pretty accomplished. We think IU hired a Native American who had NCAA restrictions because our president was black? Tough to say without having any idea how it all went down. Was Sampson top of our list?

Not saying you guys are wrong just think this might be a lazy narrative...

Agree. Not as if they didn't have any experience with getting burned by making a decision informed by political correctness. That's if one assumes that Mike Davis got the nod in part because he represents a minority and they didn't want to take on the baggage that would have come with hiring someone else. Wasn't there, am sure I have no idea, but really can't believe that KS's heritage had much if anything to do with his hire - imagine they just wanted a winner, and badly enough to rationalize away his past transgressions.

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

I always recall Tiger Woods' comment regarding IU faithful Fuzzy Zoeller's infamous off-the-cuff statement that was picked up by the national media and subsequently turned into a dumpster fire for Fuzzy's career "...ribs, watermelon...whatever it is those guys eat." Tiger, when asked for his reaction only said, "I can forgive, but I can never forget." Ominous words they were.

And then Tiger went out and nailed 8 different porn stars later that night.

Just TIC--doesn't exonerate Fuzzy (that comment was pretty much the end of him professionally), but Tiger lost his self-righteous-club membership a long time ago.

 

[Brewskie]

like houston, don't you think another ad is about to say "yes, thanks".

Oh yes, I'm sure he could very well end up back in a power 5 conference. When you win, it cures a lot of ills.

 

[VanPastorMan]

Agree. Not as if they didn't have any experience with getting burned by making a decision informed by political correctness. That's if one assumes that Mike Davis got the nod in part because he represents a minority and they didn't want to take on the baggage that would have come with hiring someone else. Wasn't there, am sure I have no idea, but really can't believe that KS's heritage had much if anything to do with his hire - imagine they just wanted a winner, and badly enough to rationalize away his past transgressions.

The players rallied around Davis which is why he got the interim title. I remember when Calvin brought in his Washington State team to Indiana during the Classic one year. They gave IU what fer. I thought we might lose that game. You could tell that he could really coach. I believe he went to Oklahoma after that and was successful there. Being a football school in the south can be a tough gig, but he did well. Of course as we have said he didn't realize that at IU the school sells itself. If you are a very good coach then you can do well there. Perhaps he could not break the habit of cheating. I also didn't like how we learned about students not going to class and smoking weed. Of course some will say players drank during Knight's tenure. I get it. So the not going to class was something we all should say was a negative about Calvin's tenure. Crean was not as good a coach as far as x's and o'x. But he did clean up the garbage about grades, going to class. When he had trouble with some kids with alcohol etc he eventually got rid of them.