Illinois Athletic Director John Mackovic said Wednesday the university is bracing for a full NCAA investigation, one that could bring the death penalty to the Illinois basketball program.
Mackovic also said that Jimmy Collins, assistant coach and chief recruiter, will not do any recruiting until further notice.
”We believe the NCAA has sufficient information to warrant an official inquiry,” Mackovic said, ”and we expect to receive one. We have had conversations with them, and we have every belief from them that something will be forthcoming.”
The Tribune has learned that an NCAA letter announcing an official inquiry is expected to arrive at the university next week. This letter will detail specific charges against the university. The charges are expected to include violations in the recruiting of Deon Thomas, freshman basketball star. Although Thomas, the 6-foot-9-inch Chicago Simeon graduate, has been the focus of a preliminary investigation that has been going on since July, a university source told The Tribune that alleged irregularities in the unsuccessful recruiting of Notre Dame star LaPhonso Ellis is an element in the official inquiry. Illinois lost Ellis, the former East St. Louis Lincoln All- Stater, to Notre Dame in a heated recruiting battle.
Collins was the chief recruiter of Thomas last year and of Ellis two years ago. Neither Ellis nor his coach at Notre Dame, Digger Phelps, would comment Wednesday on the University of Illinois developments.
Although Mackovic did not himself refer to the death penalty, NCAA enforcement official David Berst earlier said that the school not only could but undoubtedly would be forced to suspend the basketball program for at least a year if found guilty of major violations.
Illinois` football program went on probation in 1988 for transgressions that occurred in 1985, and the so-called death penalty provision applies to universities that have a second major violation in any sport within a five-year period. The death penalty, if it were applied, would affect only the basketball program.
”I have not had any conversations myself with David,” Mackovic said,
”but we have said from the beginning that our stance always is that any investigation is a serious matter.
”Any time you get into anything with a lengthy investigation, you have to be prepared that it could be serious.
”They have not told us what might be a part of everything (the official inquiry),” Mackovic said of the NCAA. ”The original preliminary inquiry involved only Deon and his recruitment.”
Mackovic issued a statement Wednesday after meeting with Chancellor Morton Weir and receiving a ”comprehensive preliminary report” from Chicago attorney Mike Slive, who has been conducting the school`s own internal investigation into alleged recruiting irregularities.
”Much of the information is conflicting,” the statement said, ”and despite our best efforts we have not been able to establish a full and clear picture of what may or may not have happened. We are, however, concerned by what we hear.
”Although we are not prejudging anyone, there are serious matters that are unresolved and must be resolved before Jimmy Collins can participate in recruiting or Deon Thomas plays.
”Therefore, we have decided that Deon Thomas should not play this season and coach Collins should not recruit while the matter remains unresolved.”
The university`s position on Thomas` status as a player had been unclear until today. He had not been practicing with the team, and the athletic department had indicated he would be redshirted and retain four years of eligibility. He has not played in any games. Thomas said Tuesday that he would not play at all this season and would seek another four full years of eligibility.
Later, Mackovic said: ”We wanted to do two things today. No. 1, we wanted to take some definite position on whether we could get Deon back on the court this season, which is what everyone wanted to know. This has been going on week after week. Today we`re saying, `Look, we don`t think that`s going to be the case.` Whether Jimmy went on the road did not seem to be of as much concern.
”No. 2, we wanted it stated that we did expect an official investigation was coming based on what we had uncovered and what we knew the NCAA had uncovered. They had given us some indication they felt this was forthcoming.” Basketball coach Lou Henson, contacted just before the team left for Madison, Wis., where it will play Wisconsin`s Badgers Thursday night, said he had talked with Thomas at length Wednesday morning.
”I think he had already made up his mind that he would not play this season and waste a year,” said Henson. ”He`s an intelligent young man, and he makes good decisions.”
The question of whether Collins can go recruiting may not be of as much concern to the public at large, but it is to Henson.
”When you don`t have somebody on the road, it takes its toll,” he said. ”Fortunately, we do most of our recruiting in Illinois. If you had to recruit out of state, it would be devastating.”
Henson himself has scheduled three recruiting trips this week that Collins ordinarily would have undertaken.
After saying, ”We knew there was a possibility we might get the official inquiry, so I won`t say I`m surprised,” Henson would not comment further.
He did later release the following statement through the sports information office:
”Certainly this has proven to be a difficult period of time for Deon Thomas, Jimmy Collins and for all of us involved with the Illinois basketball program. We have done our utmost to conduct our program in a forthright and positive manner and are determined to keep it that way. So we will continue to cooperate fully in the investigation until it is concluded.”
From the beginning, however, Henson, in his 15th season as head coach at Illinois, has been excluded from the small circle of university officials privy to information about the investigation. He was not even aware an announcement was expected Wednesday until informed Tuesday by a member of the media.
The university was informed on July 3 that the NCAA was launching a preliminary inquiry into the events surrounding the recruitment of Thomas, who had been expected to play a key role for the Illini this season.
In October, Weir had announced that Thomas would not be permitted to practice with the team until the matter was cleared up. Later, under threat of a lawsuit, Thomas was allowed to practice if he would agree to redshirt (not play) this season.
Weir has been criticized in some quarters for keeping Thomas and Collins twisting in the wind in the absence of any clear evidence of guilt. Should that evidence eventually surface, the university obviously is hoping its almost unprecedented cooperation will be noted.
”We`ll do everything possible to make sure we get the facts and cooperate,” said Mackovic. ”We`re resolved to get as many of the facts as we can. Not everyone agrees with that. We`ve probably been pro addictive in our stance. That means we`ve taken the bull by the horns.
”A lot of people are saying, `College athletics is out of control. Why doesn`t the NCAA do something?` In reality, the NCAA is nothing but a collection of individual universities.
”The universities as individual institutions are the ones who have to assist themselves. It`s their responsibility to take a stance.”
Mackovic said that Wednesday`s announcement ”does not surmise that we have admitted anything or prejudged anyone.”
But once they announce an official inquiry, the NCAA sleuths, like the Canadian Mounties, nearly always get their man.
”We don`t keep an official tally,” said the NCAA`s Rich Hilliard, ”but there have been cases where nothing has happened. After everything has been reviewed, an official inquiry can lead to sanctions, probation, a simple letter of reprimand or nothing at all.”
