Kelvin Sampson, the current head basketball coach at the University of Houston, had a controversial end to his time at Indiana University that was filled with scandal. Sampson was hired by Indiana in 2006 after successful coaching stints at Washington State and Oklahoma. However, his tenure at Indiana was marred by NCAA violations related to recruiting practices.
Sampson was found to have made impermissible phone calls and texts to recruits, which violated NCAA rules. Despite being aware of these violations, Indiana chose to retain Sampson as their head coach. But as the violations continued, Indiana eventually decided to part ways with Sampson in February 2008.
The scandal led to sanctions being placed on Sampson and the Indiana program, including a one-year ban on recruiting off-campus, limits on the number of scholarships that could be awarded, and a reduction in the number of coaches that could be involved in recruiting. Sampson also faced a five-year show-cause penalty, which made it difficult for him to find coaching jobs at the college level.
After leaving Indiana, Sampson spent time coaching in the NBA before eventually landing at the University of Houston. Despite his past transgressions, Sampson has found success at Houston, leading the team to multiple NCAA tournament appearances and being named the AAC Coach of the Year in 2018.
As Sampson continues to build a successful program at Houston, the scandal that ended his time at Indiana serves as a reminder of the consequences of violating NCAA rules. While Sampson has moved on from his time at Indiana, the recruiting scandal will always be a part of his coaching legacy.
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