Kelvin Sampson gets recruiting ban

[Raider Country]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The NCAA on Thursday banned Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson from calling recruits and visiting them off-campus, ruling he deliberately broke NCAA rules by making extra phone calls to potential players while coaching Oklahoma.

The decision, announced by the committee on infractions, also requires Indiana to adopt the restrictions Oklahoma placed on Sampson, where he coached before Indiana hired him earlier this year.

"This case is a result of the former head coach's complete disregard for NCAA guidelines for proper telephone contacts with recruits," infractions committee chairman Thomas Yeager said in a written statement. "The former head coach created and encouraged an atmosphere among his staff of deliberate noncompliance, rationalizing the violations as being a result of 'prioritizing' rules."

The contract Sampson signed with Indiana on April 20 says the school "may take further action, up to and including termination" if the NCAA "imposes more significant penalties or sanctions than the University of Oklahoma's self-imposed sanctions."

It was not immediately clear if the Hoosiers would fire Sampson, who was in Kuwait and unavailable for comment. A message was left on the cell phone of Michael Glazier, Sampson's attorney.

It also was not clear whether the Hoosiers would face a scholarship loss, one of the sanctions Oklahoma imposed.

Indiana officials were expected to release a written statement later Thursday.

"Obviously, we anticipated some type of sanction, and this one seems to fit these minor infractions," Indiana trustee Patrick Shoulders said.

Indiana hired Sampson in March amid an investigation into 577 extra phone calls Sampson and Sooners assistant coaches made to 17 recruits from 2000 and 2004. The calls violated NCAA restrictions, and the infractions committee determined Sampson made 233 of them.

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/basketball/ncaa/05/25/bc.bkc.indiana.sampson.ap/index.html?section=si_topstories

[Raider Country]

NCAA extends Sooners' probation 11 more months
May 25, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma escaped major sanctions Thursday from an NCAA inquiry into nearly 600 improper recruiting telephone calls it deemed a result of former men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson's "decision to consciously ignore certain recruiting rules."

The NCAA Committee on Infractions extended Oklahoma's self-imposed probation for an additional 11 months and issued a public reprimand and censure but otherwise accepted the university's self-imposed sanctions, which included reductions in scholarships, recruiting calls and trips and visits to the school by prospective recruits.

The infractions committee instituted a two-year probation ending on May 24, 2008. The university's self-imposed probation was to end on June 30, 2007.

The university was able to avoid a severe "lack of institutional control" finding that could have resulted in a ban from postseason play. NCAA enforcement staff had recommended such a finding but the infractions committee instead found Oklahoma guilty of a lesser "failure in monitoring" finding.

The Committee on Infractions strayed from the enforcement staff's recommendation, saying "though seriously flawed, a system for monitoring the phone calls did exist."

In an infractions report, the committee outlined how Oklahoma's coaches met on Sunday nights to review their recruiting calls then recorded them on forms different than those supplied by the compliance office and filed them in a cabinet in the basketball office instead of turning them in.

The committee noted that the logs were never cross-checked against institutional phone records and "the coaches were taken at their word when even a cursory review of men's basketball office, cell phone and calling card bills would have revealed the myriad of impermissible calls being made by multiple coaches over a period of years."

Former Oklahoma assistant Ray Lopes, who last month was given a three-year "show cause" penalty requiring him to appear before the infractions committee before seeking employment with another NCAA school because of violations while he was the head coach at Fresno State, received a second "show cause" order to run concurrently.

The NCAA accepted penalties Washington imposed against former Oklahoma assistant Jim Shaw, who made 107 of the calls.

Former assistant Bob Hoffman, who was not retained by new Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel, made only 28 calls after joining the staff in 2004 and the infractions committee decided not to keep an individual record of his violations.

Sampson made 233 of the 577 impermissible calls.

In response to the NCAA inquiry, Oklahoma has added compliance staff and started a new telephone monitoring system.

The Committee on Infractions also found Oklahoma guilty of nine secondary violations by the men's basketball program, two by the men's gymnastics team and two by the softball team.

Oklahoma's last major infraction came in December 1988, when the NCAA determined the football program broke recruiting rules and provided extra benefits. There were also findings of unethical conduct and the institutional control violation.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/9461232

[Raiderfan]

Been there done that! I wonder what IU will do? Talk about a major setback for IU.........will they let Sampson go?

[Raider Country]

Sampson's absence will be noticed by recruits
Analyst: Being seen is important

By Jeff Rabjohns
The Indianapolis Star

When Scott Martin looks into the stands in July as his summer basketball team plays in major events around the country, he'll see a number of head coaches from colleges who are recruiting him.

He won't see Kelvin Sampson.

The biggest practical impact of the NCAA penalties announced yesterday against the new Indiana University men's basketball coach is that Sampson won't be able to show recruits Indiana's interest by watching them in person.

Other colleges will be sending their head coaches. Indiana will be sending assistants.

"I guess you could understand why he's not there because you know in the back of your mind that he can't be there and if he could be he would, but it sure doesn't help," said Martin, a 6-foot-8 forward from Valparaiso High School who is ranked as one of top 100 players in the nation in the 2007 class.

"Then you're not sure. Maybe he would have been there, maybe he wouldn't have been."

The NCAA banned Sampson from making phone calls to recruits or from any off-campus recruiting for a year for what it termed a "pattern of willful and significant recruiting violations" while he was at Oklahoma.

Of the two penalties, the off-campus recruiting ban is far more significant because recruits can still call Sampson, can talk to him in person during unofficial visits to IU, and he can still be in regular contact through text messaging.

The off-campus recruiting ban involves three "recruiting cycles" -- the time coaches can watch players in person -- this July, next high school season and next spring.

Coaches use those periods for two purposes: to evaluate players and to be in attendance to show interest.

"In today's recruiting world, being visible and seen is important," said Dave Telep, a recruiting analyst with scout.com. "There's an evaluating part and a babysitting part."

In July, for example, head coaches sit or stand in prominent positions around the court every time a recruiting target plays to show him how much he is wanted.

Sampson cannot make in-home visits to recruits this fall, but most top prospects pick colleges before the start of their senior year, meaning July is the crucial time for colleges to make a final push.

"When that recruit looks over and sees the head coach of Purdue or Ohio State or Illinois, and kids see an assistant coach from another school, they'll wonder why that school's head coach is not there," said Mike Fox, who coaches Indiana Elite, a top summer program out of Bloomington, Ind.

"I have kids being recruited by several Big Ten schools, and I can tell you, when the head coach is there, they're very aware, and when the assistant is there, they're very aware of that."

Martin's teammate, Robbie Hummel, another top-100 recruit, said he tries not to pay attention to the coaches in the stands.

"The head coaches who are there, they will make the kids that aren't aware of it very aware of it," said Wayne Brumm, who coaches the summer team that includes Martin, Hummel and another IU target, E'twaun Moore.

Fox noted the attention North Central star Eric Gordon paid when Illinois coach Bruce Weber flew to Arkansas to watch the one game Gordon played before returning to Indianapolis for prom earlier this spring. Gordon has orally committed to Illinois, but Sampson had been trying to get the top-ranked shooting guard in the 2007 class to change his mind.

Todd Leary, a member of Indiana's heralded 1989 recruiting class and now a part of the IU radio team, agreed that a head coach's presence had a big impact on a recruit.

"Coach (Bob) Knight came to a lot of games, and when he was in the building, everybody knew it," Leary said. "I think that's where Sampson suffers with his off-campus ban. Beyond that, I really don't think these sanctions are that big of a deal."

Coaches, players and recruiting analysts agreed that the phone-call ban is nearly irrelevant because of other ways to keep in contact with players.

"In terms of the phone calls, there are ways around that," Brumm said. "He can text and ask somebody to call him. That's done a lot now anyway to get around the phone-call limitation. If he wants to talk to somebody, his assistant coaches will get the kids to call him."

www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060526/SPORTS0601/605260474/1068/SPORTS06

[Fastbreak]

It looks like admitting you are an idiot isn't a valid defense to the NCAA.

[Retired Coach]

I love the way the NCAA treats a coach from a major program vs the way they treat a coach from a mid-major. Sampson and Biancardi both received recruiting bans for breaking NCAA rules. Biancardi isn't allowed to participate in recruiting at all for almost 2 years. Sampson is only punished for 1 year and is only limited in off campus recruiting. This is just another example of the NCAA having double standards.

[Fastbreak]

May 25, 2006
Sampson sanctions hardly substantial
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

The NCAA hampered first-year Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson's recruiting ability for the class of 2007 and '08 but stopped well short of taking him out of the recruiting process.

Indiana accepted Sampson's penalty that he cannot recruit off-campus or make any phone calls to recruits from May 25, 2006 to May 24, 2007.

But Thomas Yeager, commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Association and the interim chair of the infractions committee, said Thursday that there are no rules against Sampson receiving phone calls, e-mailing or using text messages. Yeager did say that he expected Indiana to uphold the "spirit" of the penalty.

So, technically Sampson could e-mail or text a recruit and have the recruit call Sampson back. Also, an assistant coach could have the recruit telephone him, and the assistant coach could conceivably hand the phone to Sampson as long as Sampson didn't make the call. Sampson could also receive phone calls on an 800-number, which most major schools have coming into their office.

Indiana still needs clear interpretation whether Sampson can phone high school, AAU and junior college coaches or if he is only forbidden from phoning prospects.

Banning Sampson from going on the road might not be a major hit, as well. This will be the second straight summer that Sampson won't be on the road, and the third in a row where he misses all or part of the July evaluation period.

As part of Oklahoma's self-imposed penalties, Sampson sat out last July's recruiting period yet he still hauled in what he termed the top recruiting class in his 12 years in Norman. Once he left Oklahoma for Indiana, three of the five recruits asked for a release and have since gone to Texas, UAB and Villanova. In the summer of 2004, Sampson was out for most of July while he coached the USA Young Men's qualifying team to a gold medal in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

With Indiana having three seniors on the 2006-07 roster, the Hoosiers could have as many as three to six scholarship openings since they are presently at 11 players on scholarship for the 2006-07 season. Indiana still is pursuing two more players for next fall to get to the maximum of 13. If it does then the Hoosiers would have three to give, but that number could go up to four if rising junior D.J. White decides to declare for the NBA draft in 2007.

The state of Indiana has three top 50 players for 2007 and six in the top 100, according to scout.com. One of the top guards, Eric Gordon, already has committed to Illinois.

But, once again, Sampson can visit with high school juniors and seniors and junior college players on campus.

The lure of playing at Indiana, Sampson's national name, and the proximity of the Bloomington campus to a number of Midwest cities could make it easier for players to visit the IU campus while Sampson is under NCAA recruiting house arrest for a year.

Yeager said had Sampson (he did refer to him as the former head coach instead of by name) stayed at Oklahoma, then the same penalties would have applied. Had Sampson stayed, it's unknown how the Sooners would have handled him.

Paul Biancardi essentially was fired at Wright State for a similar one-year ban for his violations at Ohio State while Quin Snyder actually survived his one-year ban of off-campus recruiting at Missouri and signed players during that time. He subsequently was forced out four months after his off-campus ban was lifted.

In the end, the public censure of Sampson and calling him out for being the head of the National Association of Basketball Coaches during the ethics summit in 2003 while also committing violations is probably the highest price he'll pay. Sampson already was embarrassed when he had to stand in front of hundreds of people at his news conference in Bloomington and say he made a mistake.

Yeager said during the conference call Thursday that he differed with Sampson on the severity of phone call violations. Yeager believes the violations were an advantage and essentially didn't see the point in saying that it wasn't as severe as paying players.

Sampson, who is in Kuwait this week with Operation Hardwood II (college coaches coaching soldiers), said he would build a "basketball program which all Indiana fans can be proud -- one that is successful on the floor, in the classroom and is active in the community."

Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan backed Sampson, too, saying the sanctions do "present an immediate challenge." But he remains excited about Sampson heading the program.

Based on Sampson's ability to recruit at Oklahoma (a tougher sell than at Indiana) with a summer ban, recruiting for IU without making phone calls or going off-campus for a year might not be as tough as it seems. Sampson hired a veteran staff at IU with former head coaches Ray McCallum, Jeff Meyer and Jerry Green, making it one of the more experienced staffs in the country. Sampson still will be visible when the prospects come to campus and there are ways around the penalty that will allow him to communicate with recruits without violating his sanctions.


Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2458353

[Fastbreak]

Updated: May 30, 2006, 3:47 PM ET
Fired Lopes treated differently than IU's Sampson
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com


So Kelvin Sampson got a one-year ban on making phone calls to recruits and cannot recruit off campus for his role in making extra phone calls to recruits while at Oklahoma. Sampson made 233 of the 577 impermissible calls made by the Sooners' staff.

His top assistant at Oklahoma, at least at the time of the initial violations, was Ray Lopes. Lopes then continued the practice of making impermissible phone calls as a head coach at Fresno State. He made a total of 457 impermissable calls over a two-plus-year period (which includes time at Oklahoma, as well).

Sure, Lopes made twice as many calls, but what was his punishment? He was handed a three-year show-cause penalty (that started when he was terminated at Fresno State) and is out of work. His attorney, Toby Baldwin, has already been quoted in the local media saying he would like to appeal the penalty.

On the surface, it appears to be an inequity. Sampson didn't get a show-cause penalty and his new school, Indiana, only has to show up at a show-cause hearing if it wants to challenge the sanctions handed down, which it doesn't.

Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Tom Yeager, who was the acting chair of the infractions committee for the Sampson case, said Tuesday that there was logic behind the differentiation. He said that if Sampson and Lopes were both employed or unemployed, the penalties likely would have been the same.

"When it's one in each category, it looks like a different deal, but with Kelvin employed, there are activities that can be directly impacted right now," Yeager said. "If Ray were to get a job, then he might face similar sanctions, but the difference is that once [the three years is up], then he's done."

If Lopes were hired during his three-year show-cause, the employing institution would have to go in front of an infractions committee to discuss what sanctions should or could be placed on him. Lopes has been actively trying to get a job. He made an attempt to join Pittsburgh's staff, but to no avail.

"To sit and say that he got three years and the head coach got one year is apples and oranges," Yeager said. "If Kelvin were out of work, it could have been the same, and if Ray was at some place he might have gotten what Kelvin did. That's where the distinction lies. It's all based on whether or not you're currently employed at an NCAA institution.

"The big difference is that Ray Lopes is working as an NBA scout right now. If Ray is in the NBA for another two years [as a year of the penalty has already elapsed], then he comes back in with no impact on his employment. But with a current employee like Kelvin, there is a direct restriction on his activity for a period of time right now.

"If all you're looking at is three years versus one year, [then] yes, it looks like Ray Lopes got a much worse deal, but he's beyond the reach of the NCAA."

Meanwhile, Sampson's presence as one of the chairs at the National Association of Basketball Coaches ethics summit in Chicago in 2003 has prompted an angry response from one head coach in the West.

The coach, who didn't leave his name on the voicemail at NABC director Jim Haney's office and preferred to stay anonymous with ESPN.com, said he was furious. The coach essentially said he left a message saying the summit was a joke, that he's done with any ethics meetings, the whole ordeal is a fraud and that all the NABC has done is open it up for people to do what they want to do with the inequities for the haves and have-nots in the coaching profession.

"What kind of message has been sent here?" the coach said. "Why aren't other people standing up and saying something? Most coaches would be fired for this. Look, I like Kelvin and know him well but this isn't right."

The coach also said the NABC should publicly censure Sampson.

Haney said the ethics committee, which associate director Reggie Minton chairs, would likely look into this issue. Minton was in Kuwait (along with Sampson) the past week as part of Operation Hardwood II and could address it when he returns. Haney said one of the provisions as part of the ethics summit was to ensure that a head coach is held accountable for his assistant coaches. He said that legislation has passed.

Regardless, the events surrounding Sampson caused Haney to say, "No question that it stings. I feel it."

Whether or not the irate coach is willing to go public soon is uncertain. He said he wants to work in the field for the next 10 years and doesn't want to be blacklisted. Still, he said he felt it was unfair the way Lopes was treated in comparison to Sampson.

Haney said, "We all screw up. Obviously the fact that Kelvin was president and helped put the summit together and welcoming as the president, it certainly reflects more poorly on him than it does specific on the importance of conducting ourselves in what we do the right way.

"It only underscores that it's a work in progress. Just because you have a meeting doesn't mean it reaches the destination.

"This is a process [that we have] to stand for and a conduct that we want to achieve, and I wish I could say that there won't be any violations, but that's naïve and it's not going to happen."

Andy Katz is a senior writer for ESPN.com

sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2463392