Horford, DeLoach Ruled Ineligible at Houston

Tito Horford, a highly sought basketball recruit from the Dominican Republic, and sprinter Joe DeLoach, a former national high school record-holder, have been ruled ineligible by the NCAA to compete at the University of Houston.

Houston Athletic Director Tom Ford said the school plans to appeal the ruling against Horford. If the NCAA subcommittee hearing rules against Houston, the 7-foot center will be released from his national letter-of-intent and can attend any school.

Horford was allegedly visited by assistant basketball coach Donnie Schverak in the Dominican Republic during a non-recruiting trip. Schverak was suspended from off-campus activities for a year. Horford has been recruited by UCLA and LSU, among other schools.

DeLoach was declared ineligible because Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis and sprinter Kirk Baptiste made an illegal recruiting visit to DeLoach’s Bay City, Tex., home in the spring. He has been released from his letter-of-intent but may still attend Houston and run for an independent track club. There is also a possibility that he may enroll at USC, which has been trying to recruit the young sprinter.