Embattled coach Sampson is on the bubble at Indiana

Indiana denies that it will make assistant Dan Dakich the interim coach.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana could have a new coach when the 15th-ranked Hoosiers travel to Northwestern Saturday.

School officials met Thursday to consider the future of embattled coach Kelvin Sampson, who has been accused by the NCAA of five major recruiting violations over improper telephone calls to high school players. The university was reviewing the allegations and had set a Friday deadline for a report and recommendation on action.

University spokesman Larry MacIntyre and members of the board of trustees denied reports Indiana had decided Sampson’s fate and would make assistant Dan Dakich the interim coach.

“I don’t believe the athletic director has even given the recommendation to the president yet,” trustee Patrick Shoulders said Thursday afternoon.

Antoher trustee, Philip Eskew Jr., told The Associated Press he had been notified by e-mail that Indiana would have an announcement on Sampson’s status today but did not have details. MacIntyre said late Thursday afternoon nothing had yet been scheduled but called an announcement likely.

“We have some plans, but we don’t have a definite time and we don’t have the OK to go ahead yet,” MacIntyre said.

The team met with athletic director Rick Greenspan Thursday night. Almost the entire team left en masse after the meeting about 7:45 p.m. and declined comment as they got into their cars and left the parking lot.

Meanwhile, university officials and athletic department officials spent Thursday reviewing their options.

President Michael McRobbie had a lunch meeting with university counsel Dorothy Frapwell and faculty representative Bruce Jaffee in the president’s office. Frapwell and Jaffee were two of the three people asked to conduct the school’s second investigation into the allegations. The third, Greenspan, could not be seen through the office’s glass doors, and Frapwell and Jaffee left through a back entrance to avoid reporters.

Last week the school released the NCAA’s report that accused Sampson of providing false and misleading information to university and NCAA investigators about the phone calls and failing to promote a high standard of honesty and an atmosphere of compliance in the program.

Sampson has said he never intentionally provided false or misleading information to NCAA investigators.