
Deon Thomas won the 1989 Illinois Mr. Basketball award at Simeon before enrolling at the University of Illinois. (Ed Wagner - Chicago Tribune)
Sam Panayotovich talks Chicago hoops with you once a week on WGN Radio. This week’s guest is Chicago basketball legend and current UIC Flames assistant coach Deon Thomas.
Topics include the Bulls’ battle with inconsistency, “The Race to 82,” our state’s best college hoops team and a huge high school showdown this week. Thomas talks about being teammates with a young Shaquille O’Neal, learning from Lou Henson at Illinois, playing basketball overseas, compiling his coaching style, his valuable stint at Lewis and Clark Community College and the best players from Simeon Career Academy.