Via the Indianapolis Star's Main Page:
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080222/SPORTS0601/80222059Kelvin Sampson accepted a $750,000 buyout and resigned as Indiana University basketball coach tonight in the wake of alleged NCAA recruiting violations.
He will be replaced on an interim basis by assistant Dan Dakich, starting with Saturday's game at Northwestern.
Needless to say, this is good for IU. I don't write about them that much, but I have my undergrad and grad degrees from there. And, no, Bob Knight should not be re-hired.
The coach had been under fire since the NCAA announced Feb. 13 that IU was facing five potentially "major" NCAA violations related to recruiting restrictions placed on Sampson and his staff for violations committed at Oklahoma.
The current charges included that Sampson "repeatedly" lied to IU and NCAA investigators.
Amazingly enough, IU hadn't had a violation since 1960 (that's the date I saw). That's longer than I've been alive. In the world of sports as it exists today, it's almost the Holy Grail. Sampson, who was caught at Oklahoma U while he was coach there, should not have been hired in the first place. He's a really good coach, by all indications, but he's been caught twice (if what the NCAA alleges is true).
Who should be coach? One of the Butler coaches, even Motta, though I don't think he'd leave OSU. Scott Drew would be good. If you wanted a name out of a hat, Quinn Buckner!
Also, if
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080222/SPORTS0601/80222047&theme= ">D J White and the five other players don't show up for the Northwestern game, it should be good-bye players. Sampson did this to himself. Show some loyalty to your school.