Kelvin Sampson
Encyclopedia
Kelvin Sampson is an assistant coach of the Houston Rockets
of the National Basketball Association
. He previously was a men's college basketball
coach at Montana Tech (1981–85), Washington State University
(1987–94), the University of Oklahoma
(1994–2006) and Indiana University
(2006–08).
Indian community of Deep Branch in Robeson County, North Carolina
, where he excelled in the classroom and the athletic arena during his prep days at Pembroke High School, in Pembroke, North Carolina
. Sampson was captain of his high school basketball team for two years, and played for his father John W. "Ned" Sampson. His father was also one of the 500 Lumbee
Native Americans who made national news by driving the Ku Klux Klan
out of Maxton, North Carolina
in what is annually celebrated by the Lumbee
as the Battle of Hayes Pond
. Later he played at Pembroke State University (now UNC Pembroke
), concentrating on basketball and baseball. The point guard was team captain for the Braves as a senior and earned four letters in basketball and three in baseball. He earned Dean's List recognition throughout his collegiate career and was awarded the Gregory Lowe Memorial Award as the school's outstanding physical education major his senior year.
After earning degrees from Pembroke State in both health and physical education and political science, Sampson pursued his master's degree in coaching and administration at Michigan State University
. He left with his degree and a year's experience as a graduate assistant under Jud Heathcote
.
Sampson then moved to Montana Tech (of the NAIA
) where he was named assistant coach. After serving as an interim coach for one season, Sampson guided the Orediggers to a 73-45 record in his final four seasons. Montana Tech had won just 17 games combined in the three years prior to his arrival. Sampson turned in three consecutive 22-win seasons and claimed three Frontier Conference
championships at Montana Tech. He led his teams to two NAIA District 12 title games and was named the league's coach of the year in 1983 and 1985.
For the past two years (2005 and 2006) Coach Sampson has been among some of the nation's best college basketball coaches participating in "Operation Hardwood, Hoops With the Troops." Operation Hardwood is an eight-team basketball tournament for the troops which is located in Kuwait. Some of the coaches Sampson joined were Texas' Rick Barnes
, Michigan State's Tom Izzo
, and Minnesota's Tubby Smith
.
Sampson is married to Karen Lowery. They have one daughter, Lauren, and one son, Kellen. Lauren is the Director of Sports Marketing at College of Charleston, and Kellen was a former walk-on for the Oklahoma basketball team.
as an assistant to Len Stevens. After two years under Stevens, Sampson was named the head coach of the Washington State Cougars in 1988. When Sampson led the team to the NIT in 1992, it marked the first time Washington State had participated in postseason play since 1983. He was named Kodak District 14 Coach of the Year by the NABC for the second time in three years. He first won the award in 1991 when his Cougar squad produced the school's first winning season since 1983. Sampson was also named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1992. In his final year at the school in 1994 he led the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 11 years. With records of 22-11 in 1992 and 20-11 in 1994, Sampson became one of only four men to win 20 or more games in a single season in Washington State history.
on April 25, 1994. Sampson was named national coach of the year in 1995 (his first year at OU) by the Associated Press
, United States Basketball Writers Association
and Basketball Weekly after guiding the Sooners to 23-9 overall and 15-0 home marks. It was the second-best overall record posted by a first-year coach in Big 8 history.
Coach Sampson possesses the highest winning percentage in Oklahoma history (.721). He guided OU to eight consecutive 20-win seasons. He averaged 25.0 wins over those eight campaigns and 26.0 victories over the last six years. He directed the Sooners to postseason tournament berths in each of his 11 seasons (10 NCAA Tournaments), with a Sweet 16 showing in 1999, a Final Four appearance in 2002
and an Elite Eight appearance in 2003. His teams have also played in the Big 12 Tournament title game five times in the past eight years. In 2001, 2002
, and 2003 the Sooners won that tournament. Sampson holds the conference's best Big 12 Tournament record (17-6).
The University of Oklahoma is where Sampson earned his nickname "Mr. Blue Shirt" as he only wears blue dress shirts when he coaches.
. Sampson was the 1st Native American coach in the history of the Hoosier basketball program. Upon taking the reins of the Indiana Hoosiers
he noted, "I love my job at Oklahoma and I would not leave OU for any job unless it was a job like Indiana. My family and I have had 12 great years at Oklahoma, the best years of our life, but Indiana is one of the great programs in college basketball and if they call and offer, it is a job as a coach that you have to take."
In his first season at Indiana, Sampson led the Hoosiers to a 21-11 record overall and a 34th appearance in the NCAA tournament as a 7th seed in the West. Indiana beat first round opponent Gonzaga, losing in the second round to eventual Regional Champion UCLA, 54-49.
On Friday, February 22, 2008, Sampson was forced to resign due to allegations of serious NCAA violations (see controversy below for more details).
.
.
, who signed with Indiana after reneging on an early verbal commitment to the University of Illinois. Sampson was criticized by fellow coaches for failing to communicate with Illinois coach Bruce Weber
about the recruitment, and some observers said that Sampson's recruitment of the verbally-committed Gordon was unethical.
In addition to the Gordon incident, Sampson has been in the middle of a number of other controversies. Under Sampson's watch, Oklahoma was placed under a three-year investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations. At the end of the their investigation, the NCAA issued a report citing more than 550 illegal calls made by Sampson and his staff to 17 different recruits. The NCAA barred Sampson from recruiting off campus and making phone calls for one year, ending May 24, 2007.
Prior to the findings by the NCAA, Kelvin Sampson was the President of the NABC
, an organization that supports basketball coaches across the country. During his tenure the Ethics Committee of the NABC was formed to address the many problems with violations that college basketball faced going into the 2003 season. That very same Ethics Committee would later reprimand Kelvin Sampson as a result of the NCAA findings, placing him on probation for three years during which he would not be eligible to serve in any official capacity for the NABC, be considered for Coach of the Year honors or receive Final Four ticket privileges.
As coach at Indiana in October 2007, Sampson again came under scrutiny for making impermissible phone calls. Despite being restricted from making any outbound recruiting phone calls, Sampson participated in approximately 10 conference calls with recruits that violate the terms of the sanctions levied against him by the NCAA. IU assistant Rob Senderoff (who has since announced his resignation) also made some 35 impermissible phone calls to recruits from his home. On February 8, 2008, the NCAA informed Indiana that Sampson and Indiana had committed five "major" rules violations. The NCAA alleged that Sampson knowingly violated telephone recruiting restrictions imposed on him. More seriously, the NCAA also alleged that Sampson lied to IU and NCAA officials regarding his involvement in the impermissible calls.
Indiana launched an internal investigation that school president Michael McRobbie
said would take seven days. On February 14, 2008, ESPN reported that Sampson's status as coach of the Hoosiers would be decided on a "game-by-game basis.". Fox Sports reported that Sampson was to be fired on February 22, 2008, but later reports indicated that Sampson would be suspended without pay. Eventually it was announced that Sampson would resign, reaching a $750,000 settlement with Indiana. In return, Sampson agreed not to sue Indiana for wrongful termination. Assistant Dan Dakich
was named as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
According to many college basketball pundits, however, Sampson had virtually no chance of keeping his job once the allegations broke. Sports Illustrated
college basketball columnist Seth Davis
implied that Indiana officials had already decided Sampson was guilty, based on the fact that its internal investigation would only last a week. The NCAA had given Indiana 90 days to respond to the notice. ESPN's Mark Schlabach suggested that Indiana wanted to look for a reason not to pay the remaining money he was owed on his contract, and also wanted to eliminate any chance of being sued. He also said that the only reason Sampson was allowed to continue coaching was because his contract didn't allow the school to suspend him immediately. ESPN's Pat Forde
said that Sampson's departure was "preordained" the moment the NCAA sent out its notice of allegations, and that it is very unlikely Sampson will ever coach again in Division I.
During a private meeting with the NCAA infractions committee on June 30, McRobbie apologized for hiring Sampson and called that decision a mistake. McRobbie said that Sampson betrayed his trust as Indiana's coach, and demonstrated that his hiring had been "a risk that should not have been taken."
On November 25, 2008, the NCAA slapped Indiana with three years' probation for violations largely tied to Sampson's watch. It also imposed a five-year show-cause
order on Sampson, meaning that any NCAA member school who wants to hire Sampson would have to impose sanctions on him unless it can "show cause" that Sampson has served his punishment. However, most NCAA members will not even consider hiring a coach with an outstanding show-cause order, so the show-cause will likely have the effect of blackballing Sampson from coaching at the major-college level until 2013. A similar incident happened to Todd Bozeman
, who was slapped with an eight-year show-cause order in 1996 and was unable to find work in the college ranks again until 2006. Senderoff, now an assistant coach at Kent State, was hit with a three-year show-cause order.
In December 2008, Eric Gordon raised issues of drug use on the Indiana team, stating that some players were abusing drugs and that this led to the disintegration of the team, and that Sampson tried to stop it, but did not as he was focused on winning.
for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship
. Sampson was also the head coach of the United States Junior National Team that participated in the Junior World Games in Athens, Greece, in the summer of 1995.
In the summer of 1994, Sampson was selected to coach at the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. He served as an assistant to former Southern California head coach George Raveling
. The team earned a bronze medal and competed against USA Basketball's Dream Team II following the games. In 1993, Sampson was selected head coach of the West team at the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas
. His squad won the silver medal.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. He previously was a men's college basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach at Montana Tech (1981–85), Washington State University
Washington State Cougars men's basketball
The Washington State Cougars Men's Basketball team represents Washington State University and competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I...
(1987–94), the University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball
-1908-1980:The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era, posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with Bennie Owen , and ending with Dave Bliss in 1980...
(1994–2006) and Indiana University
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
(2006–08).
Early life and coaching
Sampson was born in the LumbeeLumbee
The Lumbee belong to a state recognized Native American tribe in North Carolina. The Lumbee are concentrated in Robeson County and named for the primary waterway traversing the county...
Indian community of Deep Branch in Robeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010 it had a population of 134,168. Since then, it has been one of the 10% of United States counties that were majority-minority; its combined population of American Indian, African American and Latino residents comprise over...
, where he excelled in the classroom and the athletic arena during his prep days at Pembroke High School, in Pembroke, North Carolina
Pembroke, North Carolina
Pembroke is a town in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,399, at the 2000 census, 89% of which is Native American...
. Sampson was captain of his high school basketball team for two years, and played for his father John W. "Ned" Sampson. His father was also one of the 500 Lumbee
Lumbee
The Lumbee belong to a state recognized Native American tribe in North Carolina. The Lumbee are concentrated in Robeson County and named for the primary waterway traversing the county...
Native Americans who made national news by driving the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
out of Maxton, North Carolina
Maxton, North Carolina
Maxton is a town in Robeson County and Scotland County Counties, North Carolina, in the United States. The population was 2,551 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census.-History:...
in what is annually celebrated by the Lumbee
Lumbee
The Lumbee belong to a state recognized Native American tribe in North Carolina. The Lumbee are concentrated in Robeson County and named for the primary waterway traversing the county...
as the Battle of Hayes Pond
Battle of Hayes Pond
The Battle of Hayes Pond refers to an armed confrontation between the Ku Klux Klan and Lumbee men near Maxton, North Carolina, on the night of January 18, 1958...
. Later he played at Pembroke State University (now UNC Pembroke
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke , also known as UNC Pembroke, is a public, co-educational, historically American Indian liberal arts university in the town of Pembroke in Robeson County, North Carolina....
), concentrating on basketball and baseball. The point guard was team captain for the Braves as a senior and earned four letters in basketball and three in baseball. He earned Dean's List recognition throughout his collegiate career and was awarded the Gregory Lowe Memorial Award as the school's outstanding physical education major his senior year.
After earning degrees from Pembroke State in both health and physical education and political science, Sampson pursued his master's degree in coaching and administration at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
. He left with his degree and a year's experience as a graduate assistant under Jud Heathcote
Jud Heathcote
George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote is a former college basketball coach. He was a head coach for 24 seasons at the collegiate level: five at Montana and 19 at Michigan State...
.
Sampson then moved to Montana Tech (of the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
) where he was named assistant coach. After serving as an interim coach for one season, Sampson guided the Orediggers to a 73-45 record in his final four seasons. Montana Tech had won just 17 games combined in the three years prior to his arrival. Sampson turned in three consecutive 22-win seasons and claimed three Frontier Conference
Frontier Conference
The Frontier Conference is a college athletic conference, founded in 1952 and affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in the northwestern United States, in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Utah....
championships at Montana Tech. He led his teams to two NAIA District 12 title games and was named the league's coach of the year in 1983 and 1985.
For the past two years (2005 and 2006) Coach Sampson has been among some of the nation's best college basketball coaches participating in "Operation Hardwood, Hoops With the Troops." Operation Hardwood is an eight-team basketball tournament for the troops which is located in Kuwait. Some of the coaches Sampson joined were Texas' Rick Barnes
Rick Barnes
Richard Dale Barnes is the current head coach of the University of Texas Longhorns men's basketball team. He has coached Texas for the last twelve seasons, taking the team to the NCAA Tournament each year, including a Final Four appearance led by T. J. Ford in 2003...
, Michigan State's Tom Izzo
Tom Izzo
Tom Izzo is an American college basketball coach. Since 1995, he has been the head coach for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, presiding over a prolonged period of success....
, and Minnesota's Tubby Smith
Tubby Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...
.
Sampson is married to Karen Lowery. They have one daughter, Lauren, and one son, Kellen. Lauren is the Director of Sports Marketing at College of Charleston, and Kellen was a former walk-on for the Oklahoma basketball team.
Tenure at Washington State
After five years at Montana Tech Sampson joined the staff at Washington State UniversityWashington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
as an assistant to Len Stevens. After two years under Stevens, Sampson was named the head coach of the Washington State Cougars in 1988. When Sampson led the team to the NIT in 1992, it marked the first time Washington State had participated in postseason play since 1983. He was named Kodak District 14 Coach of the Year by the NABC for the second time in three years. He first won the award in 1991 when his Cougar squad produced the school's first winning season since 1983. Sampson was also named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1992. In his final year at the school in 1994 he led the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 11 years. With records of 22-11 in 1992 and 20-11 in 1994, Sampson became one of only four men to win 20 or more games in a single season in Washington State history.
Tenure at Oklahoma
Sampson became the 11th head coach at the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
on April 25, 1994. Sampson was named national coach of the year in 1995 (his first year at OU) by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, United States Basketball Writers Association
United States Basketball Writers Association
The United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...
and Basketball Weekly after guiding the Sooners to 23-9 overall and 15-0 home marks. It was the second-best overall record posted by a first-year coach in Big 8 history.
Coach Sampson possesses the highest winning percentage in Oklahoma history (.721). He guided OU to eight consecutive 20-win seasons. He averaged 25.0 wins over those eight campaigns and 26.0 victories over the last six years. He directed the Sooners to postseason tournament berths in each of his 11 seasons (10 NCAA Tournaments), with a Sweet 16 showing in 1999, a Final Four appearance in 2002
2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
The 2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma. The Head Coach was Kelvin Sampson. The team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center and was a member of the Big 12 Conference.-NCAA basketball tournament:...
and an Elite Eight appearance in 2003. His teams have also played in the Big 12 Tournament title game five times in the past eight years. In 2001, 2002
2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team
The 2001–02 Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team represented the University of Oklahoma. The Head Coach was Kelvin Sampson. The team played its home games in the Lloyd Noble Center and was a member of the Big 12 Conference.-NCAA basketball tournament:...
, and 2003 the Sooners won that tournament. Sampson holds the conference's best Big 12 Tournament record (17-6).
The University of Oklahoma is where Sampson earned his nickname "Mr. Blue Shirt" as he only wears blue dress shirts when he coaches.
Tenure at Indiana
On March 29, 2006 Sampson was named the head coach at Indiana University following the resignation of Mike DavisMike Davis (coach)
Mike Davis is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at University of Alabama at Birmingham. He formerly held the same position at Indiana University.-Playing career:...
. Sampson was the 1st Native American coach in the history of the Hoosier basketball program. Upon taking the reins of the Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
he noted, "I love my job at Oklahoma and I would not leave OU for any job unless it was a job like Indiana. My family and I have had 12 great years at Oklahoma, the best years of our life, but Indiana is one of the great programs in college basketball and if they call and offer, it is a job as a coach that you have to take."
In his first season at Indiana, Sampson led the Hoosiers to a 21-11 record overall and a 34th appearance in the NCAA tournament as a 7th seed in the West. Indiana beat first round opponent Gonzaga, losing in the second round to eventual Regional Champion UCLA, 54-49.
On Friday, February 22, 2008, Sampson was forced to resign due to allegations of serious NCAA violations (see controversy below for more details).
San Antonio Spurs
On March 8, 2008 Sampson was hired in an advisory role by the San Antonio SpursSan Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
.
Milwaukee Bucks
On May 14, 2008 Sampson was hired as assistant coach of the Bucks under Scott SkilesScott Skiles
Scott Allen Skiles is the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and former American professional basketball player. He also is the former head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. Skiles holds the NBA record for assists in one game, with 30...
.
Controversy
Sampson played a role in the controversial recruitment of star player Eric GordonEric Gordon
Eric Ambrose Gordon, Jr. , nicknamed "EJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. In high school, he was named "Mr. Basketball" of Indiana during his senior year while playing at North Central High School...
, who signed with Indiana after reneging on an early verbal commitment to the University of Illinois. Sampson was criticized by fellow coaches for failing to communicate with Illinois coach Bruce Weber
Bruce Weber (coach)
Bruce Brett Weber is an American college basketball coach. Weber is the head coach of the University of Illinois men's basketball team...
about the recruitment, and some observers said that Sampson's recruitment of the verbally-committed Gordon was unethical.
In addition to the Gordon incident, Sampson has been in the middle of a number of other controversies. Under Sampson's watch, Oklahoma was placed under a three-year investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations. At the end of the their investigation, the NCAA issued a report citing more than 550 illegal calls made by Sampson and his staff to 17 different recruits. The NCAA barred Sampson from recruiting off campus and making phone calls for one year, ending May 24, 2007.
Prior to the findings by the NCAA, Kelvin Sampson was the President of the NABC
National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
, an organization that supports basketball coaches across the country. During his tenure the Ethics Committee of the NABC was formed to address the many problems with violations that college basketball faced going into the 2003 season. That very same Ethics Committee would later reprimand Kelvin Sampson as a result of the NCAA findings, placing him on probation for three years during which he would not be eligible to serve in any official capacity for the NABC, be considered for Coach of the Year honors or receive Final Four ticket privileges.
As coach at Indiana in October 2007, Sampson again came under scrutiny for making impermissible phone calls. Despite being restricted from making any outbound recruiting phone calls, Sampson participated in approximately 10 conference calls with recruits that violate the terms of the sanctions levied against him by the NCAA. IU assistant Rob Senderoff (who has since announced his resignation) also made some 35 impermissible phone calls to recruits from his home. On February 8, 2008, the NCAA informed Indiana that Sampson and Indiana had committed five "major" rules violations. The NCAA alleged that Sampson knowingly violated telephone recruiting restrictions imposed on him. More seriously, the NCAA also alleged that Sampson lied to IU and NCAA officials regarding his involvement in the impermissible calls.
Indiana launched an internal investigation that school president Michael McRobbie
Michael McRobbie
Michael McRobbie is the eighteenth president of Indiana University. He took office on July 1, 2007.Before his appointment as president, McRobbie served as interim provost and vice president of academic affairs of the Bloomington campus. Prior to this, he held the position of vice president for...
said would take seven days. On February 14, 2008, ESPN reported that Sampson's status as coach of the Hoosiers would be decided on a "game-by-game basis.". Fox Sports reported that Sampson was to be fired on February 22, 2008, but later reports indicated that Sampson would be suspended without pay. Eventually it was announced that Sampson would resign, reaching a $750,000 settlement with Indiana. In return, Sampson agreed not to sue Indiana for wrongful termination. Assistant Dan Dakich
Dan Dakich
Dan Dakich is an American college basketball coach, most recently serving as the interim head coach at Indiana University, following Kelvin Sampson's resignation due to NCAA recruiting violations...
was named as interim head coach for the rest of the season.
According to many college basketball pundits, however, Sampson had virtually no chance of keeping his job once the allegations broke. Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
college basketball columnist Seth Davis
Seth Davis
Seth Davis is a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine and an in-studio analyst for CBS' NCAA men's college basketball coverage with Greg Anthony and host Greg Gumbel. Davis attended Duke University, graduating in 1992 with a degree in political science...
implied that Indiana officials had already decided Sampson was guilty, based on the fact that its internal investigation would only last a week. The NCAA had given Indiana 90 days to respond to the notice. ESPN's Mark Schlabach suggested that Indiana wanted to look for a reason not to pay the remaining money he was owed on his contract, and also wanted to eliminate any chance of being sued. He also said that the only reason Sampson was allowed to continue coaching was because his contract didn't allow the school to suspend him immediately. ESPN's Pat Forde
Pat Forde
Pat Forde is a sports journalist who currently serves as a national columnist for Yahoo Sports.- Work :Forde is currently a writer for Yahoo Sports. Forde left ESPN on November 1, 2011 to pursue a career with more journalistic freedom. Prior to leaving ESPN, Forde was a staple on radio and...
said that Sampson's departure was "preordained" the moment the NCAA sent out its notice of allegations, and that it is very unlikely Sampson will ever coach again in Division I.
During a private meeting with the NCAA infractions committee on June 30, McRobbie apologized for hiring Sampson and called that decision a mistake. McRobbie said that Sampson betrayed his trust as Indiana's coach, and demonstrated that his hiring had been "a risk that should not have been taken."
On November 25, 2008, the NCAA slapped Indiana with three years' probation for violations largely tied to Sampson's watch. It also imposed a five-year show-cause
Show-cause penalty (NCAA)
In the National Collegiate Athletic Association , a show-cause penalty is an order saying that for a set period of time, any NCAA penalties imposed on a coach involved in major rules violations at a university's athletic program will remain in force if he is hired by any other NCAA member institution...
order on Sampson, meaning that any NCAA member school who wants to hire Sampson would have to impose sanctions on him unless it can "show cause" that Sampson has served his punishment. However, most NCAA members will not even consider hiring a coach with an outstanding show-cause order, so the show-cause will likely have the effect of blackballing Sampson from coaching at the major-college level until 2013. A similar incident happened to Todd Bozeman
Todd Bozeman
Todd Bozeman is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Morgan State University.-Berkeley:...
, who was slapped with an eight-year show-cause order in 1996 and was unable to find work in the college ranks again until 2006. Senderoff, now an assistant coach at Kent State, was hit with a three-year show-cause order.
In December 2008, Eric Gordon raised issues of drug use on the Indiana team, stating that some players were abusing drugs and that this led to the disintegration of the team, and that Sampson tried to stop it, but did not as he was focused on winning.
National basketball
Sampson coached the 2004 Under-21 USA national team to a gold medal in Under-21 Tournament of the Americas in Halifax, Nova Scotia, after it posted a 5-0 record. He was an assistant coach under George KarlGeorge Karl
George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...
for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship
2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...
. Sampson was also the head coach of the United States Junior National Team that participated in the Junior World Games in Athens, Greece, in the summer of 1995.
In the summer of 1994, Sampson was selected to coach at the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. He served as an assistant to former Southern California head coach George Raveling
George Raveling
George Raveling is a former college men's basketball coach and FOX Sports Net color commentator. He was the head coach at Washington State University , the University of Iowa , and the University of Southern California . The Washington, D.C. native attended St...
. The team earned a bronze medal and competed against USA Basketball's Dream Team II following the games. In 1993, Sampson was selected head coach of the West team at the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. His squad won the silver medal.
Head coaching record
- Sampson resigned on February 22, 2008 and was replaced by assistant Dan DakichDan DakichDan Dakich is an American college basketball coach, most recently serving as the interim head coach at Indiana University, following Kelvin Sampson's resignation due to NCAA recruiting violations...
for the remainder of the season. Indiana credits the last seven games of the season to Dakich.