Kelvin Sampson left IU in disgrace last year after committing serial recruiting violations. He also left behind a group of players who showed every sign of a program run amok. Poor discipline and clearly their loyalty rested mainly with Sampson not Indiana. College athletics is full of hypocrisy and contradictions. Any system that generates billions but whose rewards are parceled out almost completely indirectly (e.g. through subsidies to non-revenue sports, building school brand reputations etc.) is bound to create problems. Certainly coaches receive direct compensation and a very small group of players use college as a springboard to millions but most of the players receive scholarships, adulation and perhaps improved employment prospects after leaving school.
This article is interesting in that it captures some of the tension in college athletics between the players, the coaches and the expectations of fans.
From Herald Times of Bloomington, IN:
"...Dan Dakich absolutely did the right thing when he defended the players that he warred with on last year’s team. To recap briefly: former Indiana player Joe Hillman was quoted in The Indianapolis Star calling some of last year’s players “punks” and “bad guys.”
Dakich fired back, calling Hillman’s comments “reprehensible” and pointing out that two of the former players who’d been quoted in the article had been arrested for public stupidity during their years at IU, while only one player (DeAndre Thomas) was arrested last season and that was for driving with a suspended license.
Dakich is known for great lines, and he didn’t dissapoint during his rant as he talked about the differences in Joe’s homelife as a kid and that of Jamarcus Ellis: “While Joe Hillman was playing golf at a country club, Jamarcus Ellis was living in a car.” Ellis’ mother died of illness and his father was murdered when he was young. Thus the need to take up residence in a vehicle on the streets of Chicago.
...But his comments touched off the usual sentiment that always arises when anyone tries to talk of class and the disadvantages of the poor: many fans jumped on Dakich and accused him of making excuses for players who wasted an opportunity that many basketball players would have cherished....Sampson never shied from taking troubled kids as a head coach. He seemed to relish taking underdogs (on the court and in life) and pulling them together through tenants like hustle and hard work. There are dozens and dozens of former Sampson players who will tell you how much he helped them grow up and become men. I once shuffled through a stack of photos Kelvin had with former players at their weddings. It was substantial. When Sampson came here, he fully expected to bring THAT culture to Indiana..."
http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/?p=2723
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