Author: Coach Z (Page 21 of 38)

Not only did Coach Kelvin Sampson and his Indiana Hoosiers lose to Wisconsin last night, but the NCAA has come out with their report and he could lose his job. Brian Butch banked in a three point shot to give the Badgers a two point lead with just under 10 seconds and a three point attempt by Jemarcus Ellis bounced off the rim as time expired. One might think that was the most important thing to happen to the Hoosiers last night, however, think again.

A program that Bob Knight came in and cleaned up in the late 60’s has been free of NCAA scrutiny since then is now under a dark cloud due to Sampson’s excessive phone use. After commiting the same violations at Oklahoma prior to his hiring at Indiana, he has now commited the same violation.

The catch this time is that the NCAA has alleged that he provided false information during the investigation. If this is true he could be done at Indiana. Right now however, the university is not in position to jump the gun. If you will remember a couple of years ago when Ohio State jumped the gun in firing Coach Jim O’Brien it came back to cost them millions. O’Brien won his court case and was awarded over $2 million because Ohio State did not follow due process. I don’t believe Indiana wants to do the same thing with Sampson.

This could stretch on until the summer in which case both parties could be severely damaged. It doesn’t look good for Sampson at the moment. But then again the NCAA has a habit of jumping to conclusions. Ask Jerry Tarkanian who sued the NCAA and won over $2 million for their vendetta against him.

In America you are innocent until proven guilty. Also, I love the fact that the NCAA is going after phone violations when there are a lot of more serious problems being overlooked.

Watched a great game last night – at least it was a great game until .01 seconds left. Villanova battled Georgetown even for almost 40 minutes and then with one toot of a whistle the whole game changed.

Official BOB DONATO called a foul on Villanova 75 feet away from the basket with the Georgetown player just dribbling. No advantage was gained and there was not enough contact to make the call. However, with that whistle Bob Donato took away any chance for a Villanova victory. He should be fired!!! To make matters worse it was his third game in three days. All season I have been talking about officials working too many games and not being held accountable. This is a perfect example.

With the loss Villanova’s place in the Big East tournament is in jeopardy. That means there is going to be grumbling about the job Jay Wright is doing. Let’s see, they fired John Brady and Jay John for not winning. Sure, they make a lot of money. I don’t question that. However, officials are bringing in close to $2000 a game. Where else can Bob Donato make $1000 an hour? He should be fired!!!

If an official makes a mistake they should be reprimanded and games taken away. When an official potentially costs a coach his job, the official should be fired!! If you don’t believe me, ask Mike Davis about Gene Monge. He was an official that should have been fired ten years prior to when he retired.

If the game is going to go to the next level, then officials should be held accountable…

Quietly, Rick Pitino has labored at putting Louisville back together this season. After the miraculous recover of David Padgett and the return of Juan Palocious he has the Cards headed in the right direction. His constant disciplining of Derrick Character seems to be paying off as the big fella finally seems to be listening to the voice of reason.

Yesaterday’s win over Georgetown puts the Card squarely in contention for a high seed and a chance to win the Big East.

Speaking of the Big East, a couple of schools that could be looking for coaches as the end of the season are St. John’s and Providence. Although Tim Welsh has worked miracles there, the natives are restless. Norm Roberts was asked to come in and clean up the mess left by Mike Jarvis. Roberts has done a great job repairing the damage, but a longtime neglect by the administration leaves the Johnnies on the short end of the facility battle.

Basketball writer Hoop Weiss has a great article about Bob Knight and the end of an era. While some younger coaches are in it for the fame and glamour, there are a few still in it for the right reasons. A couple of them, Matt Painter (Purdue) and Sean Miller (Xavier) are in it for the right reasons and having great seasons.

In fact Xavier just got another big win today over St. Joe’s and looks to be a very high seed come tournament time.

The road is supposed to be a tough place to play in the Big Ten. Well, Purude went into Wisconsin and gave the Badgers only their third home loss since Bo Ryan’s arrival 7 years ago. Then today Indiana visited Ohio State and gave the Buckeyes a setback.

Matt Painter has the youngest team in the country, but you would have never known it if you watched how they handled themselves in Madison. Robbie Hummell scored 21 points and the Boilermakers became the first team in 35 games to shoot over 50% against the Badgers. Painter is quickly distinguishing himself as one of the best young coaches in the country.

Today Indiana was led by my Big Ten MVP, DJ White, who scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds enroute to a 59-53 win in Columbus. Eric Gordon scored 15 to aid White. Every time the Buckeys got close the Hoosiers got a big play from White, Gordon or freshman Jordan C rawford (who for my money is better than his over hyped brother at Kentucky). Crawford had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists without a turnover.

The next three games will tell the tale of the tape for Indiana as they host Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue in their next three outings. I believe Kelvin Sampson will have his troops ready and loaded for bear.