Truth & Rumors > NCAAB

Inside Indiana's NCAA woes

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It's taken a while, and it's required the added scrutiny of the NCAA's watchdogs, but we are now getting a clear idea of how thoroughly and painfully mismanaged Indiana's basketball program was. It may be true that athletic director Rick Greenspan had Kelvin Sampson shoved down his throat by former school President Adam Herbert and some trustees. And it may be true that Greenspan has taken an unfair percentage of the criticism, what with Herbert and the others hiding under various rocks and avoiding culpability. It's also true that Greenspan ultimately signed off on the hiring. He was the one in the front of a stage set up in Assembly Hall, hailing Sampson's arrival, insisting that IU hired a man who was contrite about the mistakes he made at Oklahoma and was ready to turn over a new leaf. Hiring Sampson, though, wasn't the worst of it. The worst came thereafter when IU apparently failed to properly monitor the work of Sampson and his staff. Incredibly, it took nearly a year of phone bills -- many of them with the "3W" designation, meaning three-way calls -- before IU woke up to the possibility that Sampson and his staff were violating the terms of the probation.

Indianapolis Star

Rick Greenspan, Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images Rick Greenspan, Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
June 27, 2008  08:15 AM ET

bring back bobby knight! yeah i know, it's not possible.

June 27, 2008  08:30 AM ET

God, I hate Indiana, Sampson, Greenspan AND Knight! Go Illini!

June 27, 2008  09:19 AM ET

I hate Indiana also.

But no way should Indiana be put on probation to punish their fans and players when Sampson and the AD can just leave for BETTER JOBS.

The penalty should come from Sampsons pocketbook and move on.

June 27, 2008  10:02 AM ET

Why does it look like he is holding his chest-Is he considering a b o o b job?

June 27, 2008  10:09 AM ET

Indiana has been left SOL by Kelvin. IU will be paying for this for near future at least and that can derail it. Thanks, Kelvin, you b unghol e.

June 27, 2008  10:26 AM ET

I agree that a school shouldn't be penalized to harshly when the coach screws up on his own. But, when the AD is involved it's a whole new ballgame. At that point, it becomes an institutional problem.

June 27, 2008  11:22 AM ET

IU President Herbert is already gone. Greenspan is leaving. When do the trustees get to fall on their swords?? Oh, sorry. This is reality. Newton's 1st Law of Gravity is still in force. "**** rolls downhill." I just hope Creen is able to restore some measure of respectability and credibility to the IU program, If he does, he should have earned himself a long-term home and serious gratitude.

June 27, 2008  11:29 AM ET

IU has learner once again that leopards do not change their spots and snakes are never to be trusted.

June 27, 2008  11:30 AM ET

IU has re-learned that leopards do not change their spots and snakes are never to be trusted. Shame on them for believing otherwise!

June 27, 2008  11:34 AM ET

But no way should Indiana be put on probation to punish their fans and players when Sampson and the AD can just leave for BETTER JOBS.
The penalty should come from Sampsons pocketbook and move on.
LSUDYNASTY | 06/27/08, 09:19 AM

I agree. The NCAA's penalty system is VERY unfair. However, you need to remember something. The NCAA is like the IOC and USOC; a cartel that functions as judge, jury, executioner without any supervision or regulation. But then, that is only fair. They are, after all, AMATEUR sports. There's no money involved. Only the joy of competition in its purest form!

I wonder what teams "Grandstand Spectre" roots for??
Excuse me, I have to find a waste basket. I'm gonna barf!

June 27, 2008  11:59 AM ET

IU's decision to hire Sampson will have to go down as one of the worst hires in NCAA history...... okay, I guess I am stating the obvious with that, but it still boggles the mind that they hired this sleazeball after the problems he had at Oklahoma.

June 27, 2008  12:06 PM ET

IU's decision to hire Sampson will have to go down as one of the worst hires in NCAA history...... okay, I guess I am stating the obvious with that, but it still boggles the mind that they hired this sleazeball after the problems he had at Oklahoma.
TenRingsSTL | 06/27/08, 11:59 AM

No argument here!!

June 27, 2008  12:53 PM ET

IU's decision to hire Sampson will have to go down as one of the worst hires in NCAA history...... okay, I guess I am stating the obvious with that, but it still boggles the mind that they hired this sleazeball after the problems he had at Oklahoma. - TenRingsSTL

Ranks right up there with Jerry Faust and Notre Dame (and at least he didn't cheat).

June 27, 2008  01:22 PM ET

Glad this guys gone. He and Sampson ruined our run to the Final Four.

June 27, 2008  01:37 PM ET

What happened to Indiana's "zero tolerance" policy they used on Knight? What were they thinking with this hire of Sanson? They deserve all the heartburn they are going to get over this.

BTW, Faust never went 3-9 at Notre Dame

June 27, 2008  03:56 PM ET

Eh, ask any Indiana fan, we haven't liked Greenspan for a long time... or, at least, I haven't and a lot of others don't either.

June 27, 2008  04:38 PM ET

True Faust never went 3-9 but he also never went 9-3...

June 27, 2008  09:44 PM ET

Herbert is still on IU faculy.. BB program went downhill with Myles Brand as university president. Brand is now making a travesty of the NCAA as its boss.

June 27, 2008  11:14 PM ET

A disturbing photo that is. ****, do I make you, baby?

 
June 27, 2008  11:15 PM ET

H-O-R-N-Y is a prohibited word?

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