Jack’s Blog

Another scandal with a highly visible individual in the United States?  What in the name of Benedict Arnold is going on?  Can’t people act in a “normal” fashion anymore?

Now it’s the (now former) governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, who has disgraced his constituency and disappointed everyone who has the slightest ability to think rationally by cavoting with a prostitute, albeit a high-class one, when he had run on a platform of cleaning up New York from the very thing he allegedly dropped five figures on.

Not long ago, Kelven Sampson, one of the top basketball coaches in all of college basketball, was dismissed from his position for breaking NCAA rules - which happened to be the same NCAA rules he’d been caught breaking at his former job.  Although he didn’t run on a platform of compliance, he did make a speech while president of the Coaches’ Association about an Ethics Committee that had been formed regarding cleaning up college basketball and its many infractions - for the good of the game.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens steadfastly deny using steroids and human growth hormones, but even if they’re not guilty (and to many, that’s a stretch), Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro and Ken Caminiti (each a star player in his own right at one point or another in his career) have admitted to using illegal drugs to enhance or prolong their stays in the Bigs.  People are so upset at what’s going on in MLB they’re talking about throwing out record books or using asterisks. 

Kenneth Lay is a name millions will remember as the “leader” behind the Enron fiasco.  His crimes must have weighed on him unmercifully so much so that he died before being sentenced, possibly from the guilt at having turned so many lives inside-out.

Then, there was the story of Pete Rose.  How long did he maintain his innocence before finally admitting to illegal gambling activities?  In a case dealing with the identical subject, Tim Donaghy, an NBA referee (a position which can influence the outcome of a point spread on a game, so that only gamblers would be suspicious), was caught in a sting operation that many have said was only a matter of time before he turned himself in because he feared for his life.

Pamela Turner and Debra Lafave are names that have made the news.  If you don’t recall who they are, they’re among 54 (yes, fifty-four) teachers who’ve been accused of having sex with their students, all of whom were, naturally, minors.  Florida’s Orange Circuit Judge Bob Wattles was quoted as saying to such offenders who appeared before him, “Don’t have sex with your students…this is against the law.”  Really?  I can’t recall reading that in the teacher handbook.

The obvious question in all of this is: “WHY?”  Is it because people in a position of “power” feel immune to getting caught?  Or is it the thrill or excitement, the rush they get by committing an illegal act?  Maybe their job isn’t challenging enough to them (although with many of the names, their occupations certainly would seem challenging enough).  Obviously, there’s no one answer and maybe there’s no answer, period.

Yet, the title of the blog mentioned the “good” in these type of people.  It’s really not the people, but their transgressions that have some redeeming value.  What could it possibly be?  The simple fact that the majority of the nation becomes so outraged shows most everyone does know right from wrong and is appalled by such behavior.  It gets us talking about these social problems, promotes dialogue, in many cases between parents and their children to further strengthen the proper way to conduct oneself in society.

If nothing else, it may be a cure to those who feel that fame is the key to success and nothing is off limits.  For anyone thinking that’s the ticket, keep in mind what Lily Tomlin once said:

“I always wanted to be somebody.  Now I see I should have been more specific.”

There’s a new fad in intercollegiate sports.  It’s firms that specialize in “coaching searches.”  Whoever came up with the concept was absolutely brilliant because it fits right in with the modern style of management: give the appearance of covering all bases and being fair according to the law, use someone with “expert” knowledge in a field (no college degree required), insulate and absolve the leader from blame should the result fail and, basically, have another party do the legwork because the leader (AD) is far too busy taking care of all that’s demanded of him or her in today’s megabusiness world known as intercollegiate athletics.

There’s only one problem with this ingenius invention: it doesn’t work any better than the old way of selecting coaches and, in most cases, is far worse - bordering on fraud.  One thing that’s constant in a conference made up of, say, ten teams and that is, someone is going to finish tenth - unless it’s the Big Ten where, not only is someone  going to finish tenth, but someone else is going to finish eleventh.  And, unless that coach is in the first couple years of his (we’ll keep this confined to the men’s side) contract, he’ll probably be replaced.  I mean, anybody could coach a team to a last place finish, including the head hunter in charge of finding the replacement.

Enter the search firm.  For the going rate of upwards of $20,000 (minimum) plus expenses, a person or group will scour the country, leaving no stone unturned, for the absolutely perfect coach - one who’s custom designed for that particular institution.  I know of a couple such “business organizations” conducting these searches and they’re nothing more than either someone sifting through potential candidates or, worse, people with hidden agendas whose markers are being called in or are helping someone whom they have control over or will be able to control (down the road).

What’s caused this thriving new entrepreneurial venture?  One reason has to be the new breed of athletics director - the businessman, fund raiser, (usually) non-athlete who doesn’t remotely have a grasp on what separates a good coach from a stagecoach, so he has to rely on someone else - who has assured him, fear not, how “connected” he/they is/are to the profession.  The horror stories are frightening.

Many times the AD’s goal is “to win the press conference” as opposed to taking a chance on a more unknown candidate, but who happens to be the perfect fit and, down the road, will make even this klutz in charge of the department look like a genius. A case in point was Wisconsin’s love affair with Rick Majerus (a tremendous coach in his own right, and far and away, UW’s first - some thought, their only, viable choice) and “settling” for Bo Ryan who, most in the business would agree has done a better job in Madison than anyone could have produced. 

In another instance, a coach I know who was contacted by a headhunter is as knowledgeable in the overall running of a program as is humanly possible.  Besides being innovative in the strategical aspect of the game and having unbelievably strong recruiting contacts in the U.S. and overseas, he’s also a brilliant man who can speak to a cross-section of people on several topics, believe it or not, including those non-coaching related.  Suffice to say, after a conversation with him, you’re much more enlightened than you were prior to speaking with him - a remarkable quality to possess - in both the areas of recruiting and fund raising to mention two.  He’s also a no nonsense type of guy who doesn’t feel the need to schmooze or be schmoozed. 

When he was contacted for a job by one such firm, he told me the “recruiter” began the conversation informing him of all the coaches he’d placed at different schools and how successful he was at his job.  After twenty or so minutes of this self-aggrandizement, the coach interrupted and asked, “When are you going to tell me about the job you’re trying to fill?”  This candidate was dismissed by the school’s director of athletics because, as the AD told me, the head hunter’s evaluation of the coach was that he was “arrogant” (probably because the head hunter was only about halfway through his magnificent credentials before the coach wondered when they were going to get around to the main reason he had, allegedly, called).  The coach the school ended up hiring, as recommended by the search firm, was summarily fired after losing, several poor decisions and finally putting the school on NCAA probation.  Why? Because, when it comes down to hiring a coach, it’s a crap shoot.

Another such story is the one that recently occurred in Bloomington which shows athletics administration at its worst.  As had been widely reported, Kelvin Sampson was relieved of his duties as head coach at Indiana University.  Rick Greenspan, the university’s director of athletics, in an attempt to distance himself from Sampson as quickly as possible, made the statement that the hiring of Sampson wasn’t just his decision - mainly because he was selected in the midst of an NCAA investigation into impropieties committed by Sampson and his staff while serving at Oklahoma.  There is little doubt that had Sampson, an extremely talented and hard working coach who’s won at every school he’s ever coached, kept clean of the NCAA (or if no further misdeeds had ever been uncovered) and IU won the Big Ten title (as it was in a position to do), or possibly even made it to the Final Four, Teflon Rick would have been front and center, hoisting the championship trophy.

So what’s a better way to hire a coach?  Start with accountability of the of the director.  Mr. AD, if the guy’s going to lead your team (whichever sport it may be) and work at the same college as you are (as opposed to the “search firm” who’s going on to the next $20,000-50,000 payday), you select him.  Don’t have the time because you’re too busy squeezing the biggest donors you can find for that six, seven or, better yet, eight- figure donation?  Appoint a committee of people you trust.

This happened at a school I was quite familiar with where the AD wasn’t that well versed in basketball, so he had one of his non-revenue coaches whom he trusted implicitly take the lead in finding a basketball coach.  This guy happened to be a very close friend of mine.  He called, told me of his charge and asked me for names of potential candidates to lead the program.  He said he knew I was familiar with his school and just wanted a list of “good fits” to interview.

I asked him, “What are you looking for - a veteran coach, an up-and-comer, a head coach, an assistant, a college guy, a pro, black guy, white, did any of it matter?”  He said, “You know, that’s why I called you.  I think we need a guy with head coaching ecperience or a pro assistant, reagrdless of age or race. “  I gave him the names of four head college coaches (two white, two black) and a professional assistant I knew who would not only be interested, but they could get. Why bring in a guy who’s only looking to use the offer as leverage at his current job?  They interviewed all five and came up with a guy who cleaned up a mess the recently dismissed coach had left and put the program on track.

I’m not even beginning to imply that if someone needs a coach, I’m the guy to call.  Far from it.  Just have a clue - and a plan.  Know the business or know somebody who knows it.  Jerry Tarkanian recently said on his radio show that Fred Miller, the AD who hired him at Long Beach State told him he always had a list of three or four guys he was ready to call if Jerry was ever “hired away.”  The names would change as the years went on, as some of those guys would get other jobs or new, bright coaches would emerge.

As stated in yesterday’s blog, Pat Hill (Fresno State’s football coach) has said he has a list of potential coaching hires for every position coaching spot, including to coordiantors.  Joel Maturi at Minnesota told me when he was Director of Athletics at Miami of Ohio, he always had a “short list” ready.  Looks like he maintained that philosophy at UM where he made possibly the “hire of the century” by nabbing one of the classiest coaches in college basketball, Tubby Smith.  It wasn’t by accident. 

Lisa Love, the highly competent AD at Arizona State has replaced both money-making sports (football and basketball) with coaches and she conducted the hiring process herself.  If your success is directly connected to the success of those sports (especially), why not get to know and pick the people yourself?  Lisa was the women’s volleyball coach and senior women’s administrator at USC when I worked there and we had a great working relationship.  I admire her tremendously.  I had occasion to speak with her during her basketball coaching search.  Without going into detail, it was not only impressive, but inspiring, as to the amount of work she put into making sure she got the right person for the job.  In both cases thus far, her hires have proven to be perfect.

It’s not ego, it’s reality.  If you’re going down, the last thing you want to do is the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” syndrome.  If you’re competent enough to run the department, step up and make the selection yourself.  Why put your future - and your institution’s - in the hands of people who are nowhere to be found if the hire goes south.  No, I take that back.  They won’t hide; they’ll come back, ready to “help” you in your next search.  Funny that none of these groups offeers a money back guarantee. 

It would be prudent to organize your own head hunting group.  If an athlectics director is going to outsource something as vital to a department as coaching hires, the school ought to look elsewhere for its leadership.  It’s a stand-up job and the lazy person who’s going to hide behind an out-of-town group isn’t fit to lead.  As my late, great mentor, John Savage, used to say repeatedly of this type of individual:

“He couldn’t lead a retreat.”

Kelvin Sampson is out as basketball coach at Indiana University and both sides seemed to have made an attempt to make it as amicable a parting as it could be considering the circumstances. 

What followed the annonucement was a predictable show of human nature, somewhat touching, yet as wrong as it could have been.  After the decision and statement was made, approximately half of the Hoosier basketball players were no-shows at practice (although they all did attend a walk-through later in the day).  In an apparent show of solidarity, these guys wanted to let their feelings be known toward their recently loved and dethroned coach.  I’m just not sure they went about it the right way.

If the players went to the library (some might need GPS systems) to look up Lech Walesa and all he stood for, I’d applaud their action.  Or, rather than practicing, if they had stayed in their rooms and put in an extra couple hours catching up on their studies which certainly take a hit during a basketball season when so much class time is missed due to travel, bravo for them.  If attendance was taken at the athletics academic center and they were listed as having been tutored instead of going to Assembly Hall, good for them.  But if it was a “we’re a family and you took our leader away from us” type of stand where they just bonded and pouted together, sorry guys, you don’t deserve an iota of sympathy.  Check my 2/13 blog for the real answer why they did what they did.  Hint: it has to do with the impact the coach can have on his or her players.

Student-athletes go to college to prepare themselves for the “real” world.  Chalk up this latest mess at IU to one of life’s learning lessons: It ain’t always a bed of roses - whether you’re one of the best teams in the nation and have a legimate shot at the Big Ten Championship or not.  The Rolling Stones sang many times (and made a whole lot of money singing it): “You can’t always get what you want … but sometimes you get what you need.” 

In this case, it was what everyone needed.  Was Kelvin Sampson denied his due process?  Technically that could be true, as he’s scheduled to get a hearing this summer so he can tell his side of the situation.  But, with what he was found guilty of at Oklahoma under his watch (and his actually committing a number of the violations) , coupled with fact that these allegations are identical to those misdeeds, made an immediate decision “in the best interests of the university” the natural step to take. 

Not to be overlooked are a few of other items of note: 1) it’s Indiana U, where there hasn’t been an NCAA rules blemish in over 40 years, 2) it’s the same school that imposed a “zero tolerance policy” on a former coach whose actions the “higher ups” also felt brought unwanted publicity to a proud institution, 3) the media was not going to let this ordeal run its course until Sampson’s hearing in June, August or whenever because it’s too big a story and you have all those “I never could play a lick, but now I write and talk about sports, putting me in the same arena and giving me national publicity and face-time on television as the real athletes so I’ll do whatever I have to do to scoop the rest of my clan” guys and 4) there are other major rules violations included in the allegations.

When DJ White was asked if the players might boycott Saturday’s (today’s) game against Northwestern, he response was, “I can’t say no.”  Although it’s very early in their lives, they all can learn from the famous author Louis L’Amour, who said:

“A man shares his days with hunger, thirst and cold, with the good times and the bad, and the first part of being a man is to understand that.”     Â

Some people refer to what he did as, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”  What Kelvin Sampson, the head basketball coach at Indiana University, faces a week from now is a very strong possibility that he will be relieved of his highly coveted job.  Make no mistake about it, IU is one of the top ten, if not top five basketball coaching jobs in the country - and this estimate would be true even if fans from the Hoosier state weren’t allowed to vote.   The state breeds some of the best players in the nation (nearly all of whose parents would love nothing more than to see their sons continue their basketball careers in Bloomington); fans that few, if any, sports program can come close to matching (Indiana basketball fans were the Cameron Crazies before Cameron was even planned - and that was 1935), and their hoops tradition takes a backseat to an elite few.  Keep in mind, most people feel the best basketball movie ever made was called Hoosiers, not Wildcats, Tarheels or Bruins.

Throw in the fact that Sampson was appointed to the position while he was being investigated by the NCAA for violating a rule that limits the number of phone calls to an individual prospect.  Note: I happened to be the assistant chairman of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Recruiting Committee when our group initially proposed the rule that was subsequently adopted by the NCAA Recruiting Committee.  It was designed to lessen the pressure on prospective student-athletes during the recruiting process, a point brought to the NCAA’s attention by a specially-formed Student Task Force (composed of NCAA student-athletes, men and women, representing all NCAA sports).  He and his Oklahoma staff were accused of making over 550 such illegal calls, over 200 by the head coach himself.  Now there are over 100 of the same violation made by the basketball staff at IU. 

Indiana was fully aware of the OU investigation and do not forget, this was an institution that implemented a famous “zero tolerance” policy against former coach, Bob Knight.  With such an administrative history, there had to be mention made prior to Sampson’s appointment that any future action like that which was proven by the NCAA to have existed at Oklahoma would result in severe consequences - termination, undoubtedly being one possibility.

Another disturbing fact is that Kelvin Sampson, who, I believe, the majority in the coaching fraternity acknowledge to be a complete coach, e.g. a good guy who is active in the organization (a past president of the NABC), very good with X’s and O’s, great motivator, excellent track record of developing players to play to their potential (NBA or otherwise) and a man who got his players to buy into his remarkable work ethic and then emulate it on the floor (his current team is 20-4 and ranked 12th in the latest polls) was the head of the Ethics Committee and gave a speech regarding that subject while, at that same time, he was making the impermissible calls.

In the most recent edition (Winter, 2008) of the NABC magazine, Time Out, the association’s executive director, Jim Haney, wrote an article which mentioned one of the organization’s mottos, that of “Pursuing Victory with Honor.”  Haney (who was an assistant coach at the University of Oregon while I served as a graduate assistant) concluded his article by saying, “Sometimes our own ambition can derail our better intentions…let each of us stay the course of integrity in the face of those fears and driving ambitions that will come.  Let us choose to fight the good fight and win over the toughest opponent we will face, ourselves.”

IU is not just any basketball powerhouse.  It has a basketball-rich tradition and one of the traditions of which they are most proud is that there hasn’t been an NCAA infraction in nearly half a century!  Coach Knight was revered and reviled at IU, but even his most vocal critics would credit him with running a clean program.

Coaching is one of the most competitive professions there is - especially a team sport in which someone has to win and someone has to lose.  Kelvin Sampson is an ultra-competitor.  I’ve worked in the basketball program at Washington State and know how difficult it is to win there - and Kelvin did.  Oklahoma might be a school with money and facilities, but to take them to a Final Four is as remarkable as it would be to take so many schools that have similar, if not more, resources - yet have never gone. 

But there is a difference between being a competitor and accomplishing success outside the rules.  On May 11, 2007, I did a blog entitled, “You Might Not Be the Competitor You Claim to Be.”  An extended version of it can be read in the upcoming issue of Fresno’s His magazine.  A quote that more or less sums up this entire Kelvin Sampson saga comes from Jeanette Winterson, who said:

“What you risk reveals what you value.” 

  ¼/p>