Sampson Must Recruit Vicariously: The NCAA has decided that new Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson participated in important but not earth-shattering recruiting violations while he coached at Oklahoma. Sampson and his staff made several hundred inappropriate phone calls to recruits earlier in Sampson’s tenure at Oklahoma. As a result, the NCAA mandated Indiana to adopt Oklahoma’s voluntary penalties and added a few others, including a ban on some recruiting tactics for one year. Sampson must remain in Bloomington and cannot call any recruits. His staff does not face the same penalties, so Sampson must make all off-campus personal contact via his assistants.
In addition to that penalty, Sampson cannot receive bonuses or a contract extension until after next season. Indiana also must publicly condemn the infractions. The good news for the Hoosiers is that the team will not lose any scholarships for next season. And Sampson can host recruits who choose to visit Bloomington. [5/30/06]
