Gordon returns to play a game in his home state on Friday for the first time since he played for Indiana as a freshman last season, when he led the Big Ten in scoring and helped the Hoosiers to a 17-1 start. But the team finished the season 8-7, including one-and-out losses in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Head coach Kelvin Sampson was forced out in February, eventually accepting a $750,000 buyout.

The whole season was a house of cards from the beginning, says Gordon, who now plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.

"It was the guys that were doing drugs that were separate," Gordon told The Indianapolis Star. "Sometimes it felt like it wasn't even a real basketball team because of all the turmoil that went on. I was just thinking about that the other day. It was so crazy that all that stuff threw off a good season and made it a waste, basically.

"It was really tough for us to be around each other all the time off the court because we were so separate."

Gordon didn't say which players used drugs, but he said D.J. White and two others still on the team were among those who did not. Attempts to reach White and several other former players were not successful.

Gordon said Sampson "tried to stop it," but the coach "was just so focused on basketball and winning and everything."

Gordon himself could be immature at times; that's something I've noticed just by watching him play. (Why not jack up another 3-pointer four feet behind the line? Oh, and cutting to the basket and setting screens to get others open is for suckers). And according to one blogger who attended IU last year, Gordon was somewhat notorious for missing class. AJ Shea, from Bleacher Report:

Yes, I actually attend IU and had plenty of friends who had classes with Gordon and said he would rarely show up.

So Gordon is presumably saying that the drug use didn't involve him; even though his scoring and field goal percentage numbers went into dramatic freefall during the second half of the season.

It didn't take long for things to go to hell once Bobby Knight was removed, eh? Can you imagine something like this happening while he was in charge? He may have been a dictator, but players went to class and the trains ran on time.

Now We Know Why IU Was Recruiting Bud Mackey: His Stash [Rush The Court]
Gordon: Drug Use Wrecked IU Season [Indianapolis Star]

The Spurs, already with one disgraced college coach at the helm of their D-League team, have brought on Kelvin Sampson in an advisory role. Maybe he give them some tips on 'roiding, as Steroid Nation questions whether he was showing telltale signs of a juicer.

We demand Kelvin Sampson submit to a urine test for steroids. Why? After reading this report in the Evening Telegraph we understand that steroids may induce the psychotic sending of hundreds of text messages.

Well, no wonder Bonds hasn't signed with anyone. Some enterprising GM needs only send him a "1YR DL 4 LEEG MINMUM"

They threatened to kick him out of the game and, ultimately, arrest; he finally just took the thing off, which is scary enough, actually. Our favorite part about this is the shirt itself; he clearly put a ton of time and effort into it. Have to respect that.

No Bring Back Bobby T-Shirt For You [Inside The Hall]

In an awful, grueling season, every Illini fan told themselves going in: If they could beat Eric Gordon and that slimy Kelvin Sampson, the whole season would be worthwhile. Even the players felt that way; Illini point guard Chester Frazier's aggressive pregame bump on Gordon was completely classless and totally awesome. That it went two overtimes, and was lost on the old Illini saw of miss free throws, is just fitting; it might as well be as painful as possible.

Gordon's surely going to the NBA next year, and Sampson, being slimy, may have gotten himself and his school in trouble anyway, trouble that may come to roost in the next couple of years. So Illinois will likely not have the chance to boo Gordon all game again. It might be time to move on. Still sucks. At least our March will be more relaxed this year.

Heartache Find A Home With Illini [Decatur Herald And Review]

After some more improper calls, Indiana has been forced to "punish" him again.

As a result of participating in three-way recruiting calls (dirty, dirty three way), Sampson has been stripped of a scheduled $500K bonus for the 2007-2008 season, the team loses a scholarship, now down to 12, and assistant coach Rob Senderhoff, who set up the calls, will be banned from recruiting for one year.

The move is seen as a preemptive strike against any potential NCAA punishments. Indiana should be much better this year, thanks largely to recruit Eric Gordon (which Sampson swiped from Illinois, infuriating many of his fellow Big Ten coaches), but they've now officially wiped the regime of Bob Knight off the books. Say what you will about Knight, but this was never a problem with him. He was too busy strangling the players he already had.

Sorry: We're still a little fired up about this. It's probably our trip to Champaign this weekend; we're feeling the Orange and Blue today.

Kelvin Sampson Is Abusing His Friends And Family Plan [Storming The Floor]

According to Andy Katz at ESPN.com, Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson has been hired as Indiana's new coach. Though we're hesitant to get too fired up about any Indiana coaching story that isn't reported by vaunted Indianapolis Star reporter Terry Hutchins Hutchens, if it is true, we are pleased to see that the Bloomington brass have decided, at the very least, to hire another guy who looks too overstuffed and man-booby in a red sweater.

Sources: Sampson Leaving Sooners To Coach Indiana [ESPN]
No News [Indianapolis Star]