On the one hand, if the ESPN report today is true, then kudos to IU for keeping Kelvin Sampson’s name under wraps. I had my eye on Mark Few, Dana Altman and Keith Smart early in the process, and it sounds as if Few had first crack at it. But even with the rapid changes on places like Rivals.com, this afternoon on the bus hearing someone describe the ESPN story was the first I’ve heard Sampson’s name mentioned since we played (and beat) his Oklahoma team a couple seasons back. He’s enough of an established name that I like the pedigree, while not so Callipari-esque as to feel like this is a guy looking to stay a few years and move on.
On the other hand, the Sooners are under a self-imposed probation for making illegal recruiting calls … under Sampson’s watch. While I’ll quickly give him benefit of doubt about whether he had prior knowledge of it, at the very best it shows he wasn’t paying enough attention. So there’s the question of what kind of ethic he might bring to IU.
