Player Reportedly Claims Illini Offered Him Money

The NCAA investigation of the University of Illinois basketball program, which centers on the recruitment of freshman Deon Thomas, apparently blew open with testimony from a current Notre Dame player, according to a published report.

Meanwhile, an assistant coach at the University of Iowa has denied that his school was the one that turned Illinois in for the Thomas recruitment.

Citing unidentified NCAA and University of Illinois sources, the Chicago Tribune reported in today’s editions that LaPhonso Ellis, a widely recruited high school standout from East St. Louis, Ill., told investigators he was offered money to play at Illinois.

Ellis, a 6-foot-9 center, chose to attend Notre Dame after his 1988 graduation from East St. Louis Lincoln High School.

Neither Ellis nor Notre Dame Coach Digger Phelps would comment on the allegations, the Tribune reported.

According to the newspaper, Ellis was questioned about the allegations by both NCAA investigators and attorney Mike Slive, who has been conducting the University of Illinois investigation.

Assistant Coach Jimmy Collins, the chief recruiter for the Illini, has become the focus of the investigation, and the school has barred him from recruiting on the road until the matter is settled.

The probe has centered on a taped telephone conversation between Thomas and Iowa Assistant Coach Bruce Pearl in which Thomas reportedly said he would receive $80,000 and an automobile if he attended Illinois.