Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Five Questions With … FORMER IRISH FORWARD LAPHONSO ELLIS LaPhonso Ellis played for Notre Dame from 1988-92 and finished his Irish playing career with 1,505 points and 1,075 rebounds. He was taken by Denver with the fifth overall selection in the 1992 NBA Draft and played in the league from 1992-2003. In 2009, he joined ESPN as a college basketball analyst. BGI: What are you doing day-to-day currently? Ellis: "Raising my family, and my day job I work as an ESPN analyst. My wife is as beautiful as ever, and my kids are all doing well too. "It takes me about 10 to 14 hours to prepare to call a game. Then it takes probably four to six hours to prepare for studio." BGI: How did you get into broadcasting? Ellis: "I always wanted to do a little radio and TV. A gentleman who is a talent scout must have saw me during my NBA playing days when I used to work with Turner and TNT, and must have thought I had some talent. "He called me in '03, and I decided not to at that time. We reconnected in '09, and he pitched me to them. They gave me an audition and liked my work, and that's how it all started." BGI: What advice do you offer for young basketball players? Ellis: "Just enjoy, appreciate and respect the game. A lot of kids have aspirations for where they'd like this game to take them, but not many of them have a work ethic and a focus that matches their dream. "I tell kids all the time, it's great to have dreams, but your work ethic and focus have to match the dream that you have." BGI: What are your thoughts on this year's Irish team? Ellis: "I knew they'd be as efficient as any of the other teams in the past, with so many high IQ guys that can shoot and pass it. My concern coming into this year was when the game is tight, who's going to be the closer? I still don't think we've identified who that person is yet. "I was concerned about rebounding with Pat Connaughton departing, but [sophomore forward] Bonzie Colson has done a tremendous job and [senior forward] Zach Auguste is averaging a double-double." BGI: Regarding Auguste, how do you assess his career? Ellis: "I've really appreciated how hard he's worked at developing his game. He was a little unsure of himself as a freshman and played too fast at times as a sophomore, but as a junior and senior he's been so patient with it and makes great reads. "When you play against Notre Dame for 40 minutes, you're going to have felt Zach Auguste's presence on both ends of the floor." — Jordan Wells Ellis currently serves as a college basketball analyst for ESPN. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND