Article:For now, things quiet in Bloomington

A week that some in Indiana would just as soon forget. Basically, there is a question regarding the fate of the Indiana Hooiser basketball program and their head coach, Keith Sampson. That question is "what did athletic director Rick Greenspan and university president Michael McRobbie know and when did they know it?" We have a coach that may or may not have broken the rules with regard to recruiting at his old school (Sampson at Oklahoma) and then may or may not have done the same thing at Indiana University.

What could happen? Several things and some of them not good for the school and for Sampson. He could be fired, which would mean that he would have the right to appeal the decision unless the Big 10 school exercises the right to fire "with just cause." This means that they wouldn't have to pay him another dime after a month's time. The NCAA could tell the Hooiser program to sit out the big dance, even if they were to win the Big 10 championship, which is being played bascially in their back yard in Indianapols. The powers that be could also tell IU that there was a "lack of institutional control," meaning that this would be (to my knowledge) the second Big 10 program to be slapped with major probation, the last being the University of Michigan.

This could be a blow to recruiting, with some potential recruits that were thinking about wearing the red and white going somewhere else or even going to one of IU's rivals in the conference.

I would hope that the university, which is one of the finer schools in the nation if not the Big 10, would exercise due process and common sense. After all, one is considered innocent until proven guilty. Their fate may not be decided until at the very least, according to USA Today, July or August, after the school meets with the NCAA Committee on infractions June 14th.

Kevin Sampson will be on the sidelines Saturday with his ball club when the Hooisers host Michigan State on ESPN. They will try to play their best basketball possible after losing to Wisconsin at home a few nights ago. The sword of Damocles is not only over Sampson's head, it's over the head of Greenspan and Robbie. Let's hope it doesn't fall anytime soon.