AP source: Sampson to become Bucks assistant

5/2/2008 12:35 PM

By CHRIS JENKINS
AP Sports Writer

Former Indiana University coach Kelvin Sampson has agreed to become a Milwaukee Bucks assistant under Scott Skiles, a person with knowledge of the hiring told The Associated Press on Friday.

The person requested anonymity because Sampson has not yet signed a contract, although the signing could come later in the day.

This is a second chance for Sampson, who resigned as the Hoosiers' coach Feb. 22 and accepted a $750,000 buyout after an NCAA report charged him with five major NCAA rules violations.

Skiles' interest in Sampson was reported by espn.com last week.

Sampson took the Indiana job in March 2006 and two months later was penalized by the NCAA for making 577 impermissible phone calls between 2000 and 2004 while coaching Oklahoma.

The second wave of charges emerged in October when a university investigation found Sampson and his staff made more than 100 impermissible calls while still under recruiting restrictions. Sampson also was said to have participated in at least 10 three-way calls, another violation of the NCAA's punishment.

At the time, Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan called the violations secondary, imposing a one-year extension of the NCAA's recruiting restrictions and pulling a $500,000 raise for Sampson. The Hoosiers also took away one scholarship for the 2008-09 season.

However, an NCAA report released Feb. 13 by Indiana said Sampson provided false and misleading information to investigators from the university, and the NCAA, failed to meet the ``generally recognized high standard of honesty'' expected in college sports and failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.