Master P Says Ellen DeGeneres Could Help Land Top Basketball Recruits At UNO

Master P is jumpin' into his new gig as head honcho for the University of New Orleans' basketball program ... and the rap legend may have a secret weapon when it comes to landing top talent!

Ellen DeGeneres! Yes, you read that right.

TMZ Sports caught up with P in Los Angeles this week and we asked him whether he was concerned he wouldn't be able to lure hoopers to NOLA.

"We had a lot of great alumni come from [UNO] like Ellen DeGeneres," Miller said.

"A lot of billionaires that come from this school, also. And it's all about education and they want to invest back into the education so it's all about bringing top players here."

As for the prospects of landing the best guys -- a requirement to win at the highest levels of NCAA -- Percy isn't concerned.

"I don't see that as a big problem, getting the big recruits, 'cause if you look at it, right. We're after one right now. We'll have the number one player [Tyran Stokes] of the class of 2026. We just offered him a scholarship."

FYI, Stokes, the top player in the class of 2026, plays for Notre Dame HS in SoCal. P's hoops star son, Mercy, also played at ND. Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, Kansas, and others have also offered scholarships.

"Look at Stephen Curry (Davidson), look at Damian Lillard (Weber State), you wanna go somewhere you can play, and people are gonna see you, the NBA is gonna find you, and New Orleans is a great place, it's a great city."

"We got a great alumni, we got a coach, and so you know what, sky's the limit for us."

Percy also opened up about "G.O.A.T." Deion Sanders' influence ... with the rap mogul saying he's gunning to replicate Prime's success at Colorado in Louisiana. In fact, P says he's talked to the football legend.

There's more ... given he's now a prominent figure in college basketball, we asked Miller if he was going to be bringing Mercy over to UNO.