Deon Thomas
Encyclopedia
Deon La velle Thomas is an American
former basketball
player.
title. As a senior, he was named Illinois Mr. Basketball
and played in the McDonald's All-American Game, which also featured future NBA
star Shaquille O'Neal
. http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/mcdonalds.html
at the University of Illinois
. Thomas finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Fighting Illini
history, with 2129 career points scored and an 18.0 points per game scoring average. Thomas is the only men's basketball player in Illinois history to score at least 2000 career points. Thomas was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004.
. An assistant coach at Iowa, Bruce Pearl
, recorded a phone conversation with Thomas during which Thomas allegedly admitted to have been offered a Chevy Blazer and cash from Illinois assistant coach Jimmy Collins
. Pearl later turned the recording in to the NCAA, accompanied by a memo describing the events.http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/supplementary/bruce_pearl_ncaa_memo.html
Thomas denied having received such an offer from Illinois, and no proof of an offer or of improper benefits given to Thomas was found. On the other hand, while the NCAA never formally charged Thomas with any wrongdoing, the resulting investigation uncovered a few minor NCAA violations. The NCAA charged Illinois with a major infraction on November 7, 1990. Since it was Illinois' third violation in six years, the NCAA cited Illinois with a "lack of institutional control" charge and implemented several recruiting restrictions and a one year postseason ban.
Deon Thomas has become a symbol of the intense rivalry between the universities of Illinois and Iowa. His recruitment and the resulting NCAA investigation and punishment is naturally interpreted differently by many Illinois supporters and many Iowa supporters, and the incident remains a catalyst for the heightened rivalry between Iowa and Illinois, years after his college career has ended.http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/2005/03/bruce-pearl-illinois-iowa-recruiting-scandal
In 2006, when asked in an interview about forgiving Pearl, Thomas said "it's hard to forgive a snake".
with the 28th selection of the 1994 NBA Draft
. Thomas attended mini camp but never played in the NBA
, having opted to play professional basketball in Europe and Israel.
Thomas played two years in Israel
for Maccabi Tel Aviv
, winning the Israeli championship, the Israeli cup, and the Euroleague championship twice. Thomas didn't play in the 1995 Final Four due to a broken leg. This injury forced him to leave Maccabi Tel Aviv. He then joined the Greek
team Larisa, the Bulgaria
n team CSKA Sofia, and then returned to Israel where he played for Givat Shmuel. He then played for Maccabi Haifa
, also in Israel.
He is one of the most successful American pros of all time in the European leagues. Thomas has passed on several opportunities to play in the NBA. On 13 November 2006, in an interview for Bulgarian newspaper Tema Sport and Bulgarian television "Channel 3", Deon Thomas denied any wrongdoing and swore that he didn't receive anything from University of Illinois, as Bruce Pearl
had claimed. He said the decision to play for Illinois was made by his grandmother.
In 2009, Thomas became the Men's Basketball Head Coach at Lewis and Clark Community College
in Godfrey, Illinois
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
former basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player.
High school
Thomas was a star basketball player at Chicago's Neal F. Simeon Vocational High School (now Simeon Career Academy), graduating in 1989. As a junior in 1988, he led the Wolverines to the Chicago Public LeagueChicago Public High School League
The Chicago Public High School Athletic Association, commonly known as the Chicago Public League , is the interscholastic competition arm of the Chicago Public Schools...
title. As a senior, he was named Illinois Mr. Basketball
Illinois Mr. Basketball
Each year the Illinois Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Illinois....
and played in the McDonald's All-American Game, which also featured future NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
star Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
. http://www.basketball-reference.com/awards/mcdonalds.html
College career
Thomas played college basketballCollege basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. Thomas finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports....
history, with 2129 career points scored and an 18.0 points per game scoring average. Thomas is the only men's basketball player in Illinois history to score at least 2000 career points. Thomas was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004.
Pearl/Thomas incident
Prior to playing basketball at Illinois, Thomas was a central figure in a recruiting scandal. Regarded as one of the top prospects in high school basketball, Thomas was recruited by, among others, Illinois and the University of IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. An assistant coach at Iowa, Bruce Pearl
Bruce Pearl
Bruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers men's team. He is a graduate of Boston College, where he obtained his first position as an assistant basketball coach. He was the first coach to lead...
, recorded a phone conversation with Thomas during which Thomas allegedly admitted to have been offered a Chevy Blazer and cash from Illinois assistant coach Jimmy Collins
Jimmy Collins (basketball)
James E. "Jimmy" Collins is a retired American basketball player and coach. He was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1996 to 2010. He was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, where he attended Corcoran High School. Prior to that, he was an...
. Pearl later turned the recording in to the NCAA, accompanied by a memo describing the events.http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/supplementary/bruce_pearl_ncaa_memo.html
Thomas denied having received such an offer from Illinois, and no proof of an offer or of improper benefits given to Thomas was found. On the other hand, while the NCAA never formally charged Thomas with any wrongdoing, the resulting investigation uncovered a few minor NCAA violations. The NCAA charged Illinois with a major infraction on November 7, 1990. Since it was Illinois' third violation in six years, the NCAA cited Illinois with a "lack of institutional control" charge and implemented several recruiting restrictions and a one year postseason ban.
Deon Thomas has become a symbol of the intense rivalry between the universities of Illinois and Iowa. His recruitment and the resulting NCAA investigation and punishment is naturally interpreted differently by many Illinois supporters and many Iowa supporters, and the incident remains a catalyst for the heightened rivalry between Iowa and Illinois, years after his college career has ended.http://underscorebleach.net/jotsheet/2005/03/bruce-pearl-illinois-iowa-recruiting-scandal
In 2006, when asked in an interview about forgiving Pearl, Thomas said "it's hard to forgive a snake".
Professional career
Thomas was selected by the Dallas MavericksDallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
with the 28th selection of the 1994 NBA Draft
1994 NBA Draft
The 1994 NBA Draft took place on June 29, 1994 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is notable for the fact that two NBA rookies of the year were picked in the first round, as Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were co-winners of the award for the 1994–95 NBA season...
. Thomas attended mini camp but never played in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, having opted to play professional basketball in Europe and Israel.
Thomas played two years in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
for Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv is the biggest sports club in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs many sports club and teams in Tel Aviv, which compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, judo, swimming, handball, and others....
, winning the Israeli championship, the Israeli cup, and the Euroleague championship twice. Thomas didn't play in the 1995 Final Four due to a broken leg. This injury forced him to leave Maccabi Tel Aviv. He then joined the Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
team Larisa, the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n team CSKA Sofia, and then returned to Israel where he played for Givat Shmuel. He then played for Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa is a sports club in Israel, founded in 1913, and part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Weightlifting, swimming, Tennis, Table tennis, Volleyball, Team handball,...
, also in Israel.
He is one of the most successful American pros of all time in the European leagues. Thomas has passed on several opportunities to play in the NBA. On 13 November 2006, in an interview for Bulgarian newspaper Tema Sport and Bulgarian television "Channel 3", Deon Thomas denied any wrongdoing and swore that he didn't receive anything from University of Illinois, as Bruce Pearl
Bruce Pearl
Bruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers men's team. He is a graduate of Boston College, where he obtained his first position as an assistant basketball coach. He was the first coach to lead...
had claimed. He said the decision to play for Illinois was made by his grandmother.
In 2009, Thomas became the Men's Basketball Head Coach at Lewis and Clark Community College
Lewis and Clark Community College
Lewis and Clark Community College is a comprehensive community college in the Metro-East region of Illinois in Godfrey, enrolling 13,500 credit students and more than 33,000 total students annually....
in Godfrey, Illinois
Godfrey, Illinois
Godfrey is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18000 at the 2010 census. Godfrey is located within the Greater St...
.