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Indiana AD meets with coach Sampson
2008-02-22
The fate of embattled Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson remained a mystery Friday afternoon, although signs of a coaching switch were evident at the team's practice. Assistant coach Dan Dakich, who has been mentioned as an interim coach, directed the workout but was short-handed. Senior captain D.J. White, Armon Bassett, Jordan Crawford, Jamarcus Ellis, DeAndre Thomas and Brandon McGee were not on the court. When asked about the possibility players had threatened not to play if Sampson weren't coaching, White told Indianapolis station WTHR, "'I will not say it's not true.'" The university was expected to announce whether Sampson would keep his job after an investigation that concluded he committed five major NCAA recruiting violations, but officials offered no timetable. Athletic director Rick Greenspan met briefly with Sampson Friday morning. A few minutes after Greenspan left the coach's office, Sampson walked down a ramp with his wife, Karen. Players, managers, assistant coaches and the coach's son, Kellen Sampson, then gathered in the locker room for what appeared to be a team meeting. No one would comment to reporters. The meeting broke up about midday. Later, Indiana star freshman guard Eric Gordon was on his way to practice and said players had not been told of any decision regarding Sampson. The No. 15 Hoosiers visit Northwestern Saturday, and Gordon said he expected to play. IU trustee Philip Eskew Jr. said he had lunch with university president Michael McRobbie, who indicated he hoped the situation with Sampson could be resolved in a positive way. McRobbie was at IUPUI on Friday for a visit by the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. "But you have to do what's right for those kids," Eskew said in a telephone interview. Trustee Patrick Shoulders acknowledged the frustration of those awaiting a decision. "There's obviously some loose ends," Shoulders said. "It's crazy, but I think it will all get taken care of today (Friday)." Late into Thursday night, university officials discussed what to do about allegations Sampson made improper phone calls to high school players, then provided false and misleading information to investigators from both the university and the NCAA. The Hoosiers have not been guilty of a major NCAA infraction since 1960. Players also met Thursday with Greenspan, but left as a group without commenting. Greenspan remained in his office late into the night, and his family brought him a pillow. The decision on Sampson's future rests with Greenspan. Last week the school released the NCAA's report alleging Sampson also failed to promote a high standard of honesty and an atmosphere of rules compliance in the program. Sampson has said he never intentionally provided false or misleading information to NCAA investigators. With speculation about Sampson's future sweeping the campus, the images rekindled scenes reminiscent to the prelude and aftermath of Bob Knight's firing in 2000. Reporters spent hours staking out the hallway of the administration building and the lobby of Assembly Hall, waiting for word on whether Sampson would still have his job this weekend. According to the contract signed in April 2006, Indiana pays Sampson an annual base salary of $500,000. The contract runs through the next five seasons. Sampson's deal includes termination clauses for violations of university or NCAA rules that eliminate the payments, but two Indianapolis attorneys have told The Associated Press that firing Sampson now could still force the school to pay at least $2.5 million or face a potential lawsuit. The second-year coach came under scrutiny for his newest round of alleged NCAA infractions in October when an internal investigation found Sampson and some of his staff made more than 100 impermissible recruiting calls. Most of the calls were made by assistant coach Rob Senderoff, who has since resigned. At least 10 were allegedly three-way calls that Sampson had been patched into, a violation of NCAA restrictions imposed on Sampson for previous telephone improprieties while he was coach at Oklahoma. The university called those secondary violations. The NCAA, however, used the term major when it accused Sampson of lying. If Sampson isn't coaching Saturday, the likely successor for the rest of this season is Dakich, a 45-year-old former Indiana player and assistant coach and former head coach at Bowling Green who was once considered a possible successor to Knight. Dakich took Senderoff's spot on the coaching staff in early November, before any of the alleged rules infractions.
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