Kelvin Sampson, Indiana University’s head basketball coach, might have coached his final game for the Hoosiers last week after they beat bitter rival Purdue. Sampson has recently been accused of five major NCAA recruiting violations, and the question of whether he will remain as Indiana’s head coach, or get the boot is still up in the air.
Investigations by both the NCAA and Indiana University officials found that Sampson not only made over 100 illegal phone calls to high school recruits, but also fed false information to both the NCAA and Indiana University investigators. Pretty gutsy Kelvin, first you cheat, and then try to cover it up by hiding information and lying to investigators. Way to be a role model, coach – tisk, tisk…
A decision from Indiana’s Athletic Department is scheduled to be announced Friday afternoon on whether or not Sampson will remain as head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers. According to ESPN’s Web site reporter Pat Forde, Indiana will most likely suspend Sampson and fire him at the conclusion of the Hoosiers’ – so far – successful season.
Considering the embarrassment Sampson has already brought to “Hoosier Nation,” I agree with Pat and think this is the best way for The University of Indiana to handle this unfortunate situation. Instead of bringing additional, negative publicity to the quaint Indiana campus, the next best step for Indiana to take is to suspend Sampson, and hire current assistant coach Dan Dakich as the interim coach for the remainder of the season. You have to consider what is best for the players, and in my eyes, bringing negative attention to a basketball program mid-season could be disastrous.
It’s a shame what Sampson has done to this tradition-rich campus. Hopefully, Sampson’s terrible leadership skills won’t be repeated by his son, Kellen, who plays for the team.
