Hoosiers call upon Sampson
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana will hire Kelvin Sampson as its next basketball coach, delivering him from an Oklahoma team under investigation for possible recruiting violations to lead one of the most prestigious programs in the country.
Sampson, who was head coach at Washington State for seven seasons until 1994, broke the news to his Sooners team Tuesday. Indiana players were also informed, one of the Hoosier players’ relatives told The Associated Press.
Details were being worked out Tuesday afternoon, and the deal was expected to be announced shortly, said a person close to the talks who requested anonymity because negotiations were ongoing. No news conference was scheduled.
“I was caught by surprise a little bit,” said Taylor Griffin, a freshman forward for the Sooners. “He made the decision. I guess it’s better for the program. I guess it’s better for him.”
The 50-year-old Sampson, AP’s Coach of the Year in 1995, will replace Mike Davis, who announced last month he was resigning. Davis went 115-79 in six seasons as head coach, was the first Indiana coach to win 20 games in each of his first three seasons and led the Hoosiers to the national championship game in 2002, two seasons after Bob Knight was fired.
The Hoosiers were 19-12 this year and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Gonzaga.
Stephanie Gilbert, who helped raise nephew A.J. Ratliff in Indianapolis, said the Hoosiers’ sophomore guard called her to discuss the change, first reported by ESPN. Gilbert also said it was likely Ratliff would stay at Indiana.
“He’s shown that he’s a good coach by what he’s done at Oklahoma,” Ratliff said. “You’ve got to give him a chance.”
Two other key Indiana players had said after Davis resigned that they were apt to transfer.
Gilbert said Sampson’s hiring could change their minds.
“Once they meet with him, they’ll probably need to see,” Gilbert said. “I think, from the looks of it, they have a pretty good coach on their hands.”
Oklahoma officials declined to comment. Telephone messages left for Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan and spokesman Pete Rhoda were not immediately returned.
Sampson leaves Oklahoma behind amid an investigation for possible recruiting violations. The NCAA is looking into more than 550 impermissible phone calls to recruits by Sampson and his assistant coaches, and Oklahoma officials are scheduled to appear before an NCAA panel in Utah on April 21.
As part of their self-imposed sanctions, the Sooners froze Sampson’s salary for a two-year period beginning in 2005 and restricted him from receiving any postseason bonuses. His recruiting was also heavily curtailed.
NCAA spokesman Erik Christiansen said it’s up to the committee on infractions to determine whether any penalties would follow Sampson to Indiana.