Former Indiana University basketball coach Kelvin Sampson today accepted a job offer to be an assistant under Scott Skiles
with the Milwaukee Bucks, sources with knowledge of the deal said. Sampson only took the job after discussing a job offer
from Larry Brown, who recently became the new Charlotte Bobcats coach. Brown, NBA sources said, also sought to hire Sampson
as an assistant. IBJ first reported Skiles’ interest in Sampson April 25.
Sampson resigned under pressure at IU in February amid allegations that he committed major NCAA rules violations by placing numerous impermissible phone calls to IU recruits and misleading IU and NCAA officials about the circumstances surrounding those calls. Indiana bought out Sampson’s contract for $750,000.
Meanwhile, new IU coach Tom Crean lost four more players today. Indiana officials confirmed that Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, who had been suspended by former interim coach Dan Dakich earlier this spring, were permanently dismissed from the team, and that DeAndre Thomas and Eli Holman would be transferring. That leaves Crean with three returning scholarship players and eight total for next season.
Sampson resigned under pressure at IU in February amid allegations that he committed major NCAA rules violations by placing numerous impermissible phone calls to IU recruits and misleading IU and NCAA officials about the circumstances surrounding those calls. Indiana bought out Sampson’s contract for $750,000.
Meanwhile, new IU coach Tom Crean lost four more players today. Indiana officials confirmed that Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, who had been suspended by former interim coach Dan Dakich earlier this spring, were permanently dismissed from the team, and that DeAndre Thomas and Eli Holman would be transferring. That leaves Crean with three returning scholarship players and eight total for next season.
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I'd say he's up for it. He's put together a pretty decent '08 class to replace the outgoing players and he's already putting together what stands as a Top 10 class for 2009. He cleaned house of the disgruntled bad elements that were weighing on the program. Better to yank a band aid off rather than a slow pull. This way we get players in that we know they want to be here. Has Tom Crean done anything yet that would make you think he isn't up for that challenge? You can read his message in his words and demeanor, you can see the results on the recruiting trail, you can gauge his level of committment by his actions. And no, he doesn't need Bill Lynch's players (unless there is a James Hardy clone on the squad). Tom Crean is the right man for the job and this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Hoosier Program.