Sampson gets job, IU loses players

Former Indiana University basketball coach Kelvin Sampson today accepted a job offer to be an assistant under Scott Skiles with the Milwaukee Bucks, sources with knowledge of the deal said. Sampson only took the job after discussing a job offer from Larry Brown, who recently became the new Charlotte Bobcats coach. Brown, NBA sources said, also sought to hire Sampson as an assistant. IBJ first reported Skiles’ interest in Sampson April 25.

Sampson resigned under pressure at IU in February amid allegations that he committed major NCAA rules violations by placing numerous impermissible phone calls to IU recruits and misleading IU and NCAA officials about the circumstances surrounding those calls. Indiana bought out Sampson’s contract for $750,000.

Meanwhile, new IU coach Tom Crean lost four more players today. Indiana officials confirmed that Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, who had been suspended by former interim coach Dan Dakich earlier this spring, were permanently dismissed from the team, and that DeAndre Thomas and Eli Holman would be transferring. That leaves Crean with three returning scholarship players and eight total for next season.