New book on college basketball recruiting says former OSU star violated an NCAA rule by lobbying "on behalf of his alma mater."
"I've never tried to sway anyone to go to Ohio State," said Clark Kellogg on Wednesday. "For one, it's against the rules; and, two, it's not my nature to ever tell anyone where to go to school."CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former NBA and Ohio State basketball star Clark Kellogg refutes an allegation in a new book that he violated NCAA rules by recruiting a promising high school player to play for the Buckeyes.
In "Play Their Hearts Out: A Coach, His Star Recruit, and the Youth Basketball Machine," Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George Dohrmann chronicles the rise and recruitment of several top young basketball players in Southern California.
Among them was Roberto Nelson, now a 6-3, 188-pound "redshirt" freshman at Oregon State.
Dohrmann wrote that Ohio State coach Thad Matta had offered Nelson a scholarship when the recruit visited Columbus for the Ohio State-Michigan football game; and that Kellogg violated an NCAA rule when he called Bruce Nelson, the player's father, and "lobbied on behalf of his alma mater." Former players are not allowed to contact recruits or their families.
Kellogg, now lead college basketball color analyst for CBS, said the conversation was mischaracterized.
"I do recall talking to Bruce in regards to his son, but it was more along the lines of fact-finding for him," Kellogg said Wednesday by phone. "I'm not quite sure how we got in contact with one another. I think there was a third-party person who reached out to me on his behalf."
Kellogg said the conversation wasn't unusual, that he's had parents seek his input about the recruiting process in general.
"But I've never tried to sway anyone to go to Ohio State," he said. "For one, it's against the rules; and, two, it's not my nature to ever tell anyone where to go to school."
Dohrmann also wrote that Kellogg told Bruce Nelson, "I heard that the missing piece to the puzzle was a kid in California."
Kellogg said he didn't recall the alleged quote and that it made no sense because he never saw Nelson play.
"It was a more a dad-to-dad conversation as opposed to how it's been framed in this book," said Kellogg, adding that he's never spoken to the author.
Dohrmann could not be immediately reached to comment.
Kellogg, a standout at Cleveland's St. Joseph High School, attended Ohio State, where he was voted MVP of the Big Ten in 1982. He earned a degree from Ohio State in 1996 and was appointed to Ohio State's board of trustees by Gov. Ted Strickland in June.
He was a first-round draft choice -- eighth overall -- of the NBA's Indiana Pacers, where he now serves as vice president of player relations.
An Ohio State athletic compliance representative said the university looked into the allegations, concluding that Kellogg did nothing wrong.
"We've spoken with Clark and we've attempted to reach out to the [Nelson] family," said Doug Archie, associate athletic director for compliance at Ohio State. "On the facts that we have collected, we don't believe a violation occurred. Clark talked to [Nelson's] dad about the recruiting experience that his sons had."