The Last Shot Podcast

As a proud and loyal alum of Indiana University, the recent Kelvin Sampson saga caused me a great deal of concern. If there is one thing that IU has always prided itself on, it was the fact that the athletic department was clean. From Doc Counsilman (six straight swimming and diving championships) to Jerry Yeagley (six men’s soccer’s championships) to Bob Knight (three men’s basketball championships) and Branch McCraken (two men’s basketball championships), Indiana always did things the right way.

This is exactly why Kelvin Sampson had to go. If there is one unforgivable sin for a Hoosier fan, it is cheating. Whether it be arrogance or stupidity, Sampson cheated by flaunting NCAA rules on phone calls to potential recruits. And by doing so, he brought ill repute upon an University that had not seen major NCAA violations since 1960, when Bob Knight was graduating from Ohio State.

Sampson was a good coach who was having a great season. What makes all of this so sad is that it could have been prevented. Sampson knew exactly what he was not supposed to do, and yet he did it anyway. Hopefully, at least from my point of view, he did not de-rail the best season the Hoosiers have seen since the glory years of the General. Speaking of the General, perhaps its not too late for him to un-retire; at least we all know that he followed the rules.