Thank you for the comment about Sampson - can't believe he's been given a "pass" for his past indiscretions. Now, if he would have ever come out and apologize, I'd give him credit, but he's gone above and beyond to ignore doing so.
Finally, a sports reporter who sees the Kelvin Sampson situation the same way I do! It pisses me off every time I see or hear someone say “Well it was just a few texts and phone calls and it’s legal today.” Bulls#it! It was a lot more than “a few texts and phone calls” and I don’t give a f#%k if it’s legal today. It was illegal when he did it, he knew it was illegal, he did it anyway and then lied about it. Personally I think he’s lucky all he got was a 5 year Show Cause ban. I think he should have gotten the Norman Dale Lifetime Ban.
Thankfully by self reporting the violations and firing Sampson IU’s punishment wasn’t as bad as it could have been but you’re right it was a big part of the downfall of the IUBB program that has taken years to reconstruct.
Thank you for your comments on Sampson. I was a trustee when that happened, and he broke the rules after promising that he would not break them when we hired him.
Joel A Erickson’s story on the Smiths journey is a great read, important indeed. Is there a Pulitzer for sports writing? That came to mind yesterday reflecting on the story.
Thank you for writing this, you are the best in our market and will be missed when you take your deserved retirement. You have always been critical when needed and a fan for all of us as well. The Braden Smith situation needs to be covered correctly as does the Kelvin Sampson situation, thank you.
I agree Erickson's column was extra ordinary above the standard most writers would set for themselves. Having had an up close and personal family experience with excessive and compulsive disorder I came away learing that the victim becomes exhausted battling the symptoms. In our case after 6 months of therapy at a camp she learned to deal with the compulsions but it is still a constant challenge. The good news she is now a functioning college student.
Thanks for the comment on Sampson. I was a never-a-fan-of-big-college-basketball until a relative tired of my grousing gave me a season ticket to IU games in the late 1970s. I became a huge and probably tiresome fan of Bob Knight and the teams he created, all the while demanding that his players do honest work in the classroom.
I admired him until, sadly, he morphed into Woody Hayes, IU fired him with good reason, and the parade of coaches that still continues began. Sampson was the worst. He was sleazy. He was a cheater. His players were thuggish and academic integrity wasn't on his to-do list.
100% agree on the Pacers. They are better prepared going into this year's playoffs than last year. Depth at Center being the biggest concern. Mathurin, Toppin, and McConnell are playing great off the bench with others providing some consistent depth as well. The defensive improvement is clearly there though rebounding could still be improved more. The Celtics are the only team I don't think they can beat in a series. I'm not sure they will/would be the Cavs but I think they are capable of beating them. 2 of the last 3 regular season games are against them which could be an interesting preview.
Bob, what are your thoughts on the Nuggets firing Malone? It's crazy (and sad) that we live an era where a Championship coach can get canned within 2 years of winning it all.
Nuggets are 11–13 in last 24 games. Apparently Malone and the GM had issues with one another. And don’t discount the role some players may have had. Malone will not be unemployed for long.
The treatment Smith accessed in Mexico is a legitimate option. Hopefully it will become available in the States. Many people are suffering unnecessarily..
Thank you for the comment about Sampson - can't believe he's been given a "pass" for his past indiscretions. Now, if he would have ever come out and apologize, I'd give him credit, but he's gone above and beyond to ignore doing so.
Agreed.
Great point Brad!
Finally, a sports reporter who sees the Kelvin Sampson situation the same way I do! It pisses me off every time I see or hear someone say “Well it was just a few texts and phone calls and it’s legal today.” Bulls#it! It was a lot more than “a few texts and phone calls” and I don’t give a f#%k if it’s legal today. It was illegal when he did it, he knew it was illegal, he did it anyway and then lied about it. Personally I think he’s lucky all he got was a 5 year Show Cause ban. I think he should have gotten the Norman Dale Lifetime Ban.
And whatever it was, IU got in a lot of trouble over Sampson’s violations back then, and it was part of the destruction of the IUBB program
Thankfully by self reporting the violations and firing Sampson IU’s punishment wasn’t as bad as it could have been but you’re right it was a big part of the downfall of the IUBB program that has taken years to reconstruct.
Thank you for your comments on Sampson. I was a trustee when that happened, and he broke the rules after promising that he would not break them when we hired him.
Thanks for writing, Phil. Hope you’re well.
Joel A Erickson’s story on the Smiths journey is a great read, important indeed. Is there a Pulitzer for sports writing? That came to mind yesterday reflecting on the story.
Thank you for writing this, you are the best in our market and will be missed when you take your deserved retirement. You have always been critical when needed and a fan for all of us as well. The Braden Smith situation needs to be covered correctly as does the Kelvin Sampson situation, thank you.
Many thanks, Scott.
I agree Erickson's column was extra ordinary above the standard most writers would set for themselves. Having had an up close and personal family experience with excessive and compulsive disorder I came away learing that the victim becomes exhausted battling the symptoms. In our case after 6 months of therapy at a camp she learned to deal with the compulsions but it is still a constant challenge. The good news she is now a functioning college student.
I wish her well. Mental health issues are a beast.
Thanks for the comment on Sampson. I was a never-a-fan-of-big-college-basketball until a relative tired of my grousing gave me a season ticket to IU games in the late 1970s. I became a huge and probably tiresome fan of Bob Knight and the teams he created, all the while demanding that his players do honest work in the classroom.
I admired him until, sadly, he morphed into Woody Hayes, IU fired him with good reason, and the parade of coaches that still continues began. Sampson was the worst. He was sleazy. He was a cheater. His players were thuggish and academic integrity wasn't on his to-do list.
It's apt that he has ended up in Texas.
He's sleazy, and he's a whiner.
100% agree on the Pacers. They are better prepared going into this year's playoffs than last year. Depth at Center being the biggest concern. Mathurin, Toppin, and McConnell are playing great off the bench with others providing some consistent depth as well. The defensive improvement is clearly there though rebounding could still be improved more. The Celtics are the only team I don't think they can beat in a series. I'm not sure they will/would be the Cavs but I think they are capable of beating them. 2 of the last 3 regular season games are against them which could be an interesting preview.
Bob, what are your thoughts on the Nuggets firing Malone? It's crazy (and sad) that we live an era where a Championship coach can get canned within 2 years of winning it all.
Nuggets are 11–13 in last 24 games. Apparently Malone and the GM had issues with one another. And don’t discount the role some players may have had. Malone will not be unemployed for long.
I remember Booth playing for Penn State
Must be something more than meets the eye…
100%
Nice to see a new article. Will you be covering the NBA through the finals and then off to retirement?
The treatment Smith accessed in Mexico is a legitimate option. Hopefully it will become available in the States. Many people are suffering unnecessarily..