Illini's new transfer will come in handy in '08
ST. LOUIS -- When Illinois and Missouri meet next December at Scottrade Center, the Illini should boast at least two offensive weapons superior to any they trotted out in Saturday's 59-58 victory.
Not only will junior shooting guard Jamar Smith be eligible after serving this year's redshirt penance, but fourth-team Parade All-American sharpshooter Alex Legion ought to be done with his transfer year and suited up in an Illini uniform.
The 6-foot-4, 196-pound Legion, the Inkster, Mich., native who announced Friday night that he's transferring from Kentucky to Illinois, becomes eligible as soon as first-semester grades are posted next fall.
The annual Braggin' Rights game usually comes after that point -- and Illinois certainly will push for a date that ensures Legion's availability.
Legion, who'll have 2½ years of eligibility remaining, stacks up as the most prestigious recruit in Bruce Weber's five years at Illinois.
The Recruiting Services Consensus Index, a potpourri of recruiting gurus' rankings, listed Legion as the No. 36 player in the Class of 2007.
In his senior year at mythical national champion Oak Hill (Va.) Academy, Legion averaged 19.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while setting single-season school records for 3-point shooting (42 percent) and free-throw shooting (85 percent).
He played in six games for Kentucky this fall and contributed 6.7 points in 17.5 minutes per game, but decided to transfer in early December.
Legion visited Illinois and Notre Dame earlier this week before making his decision. Until Legion visited South Bend, the Irish felt they were going to land him.
"I like both styles and both coaching staffs," Legion told FoxSports.com. "They both fit my style, but at the end of the day, I always kind of wanted to go to Illinois.
"Coach Weber's system benefits guards. If he's got guards that can play, he lets you play your game."
Legion spent his first three high school years at Detroit Country Day, where he broke Chris Webber's single-game scoring record with a 41-point outburst.
In the RSCI listings, Legion ranks as the sixth-best Big Ten player in the Class of 2007 behind Indiana's Eric Gordon, Ohio State's Kosta Koufos, Purdue's E'Twaun Moore and Michigan State's Durrell Summers and Kai Lucas.
Winners laugh: With 4:36 left in Saturday's game, Illinois senior Brian Randle fouled out for the second time this year and 18th time in his career.
Because the Illini came out on top -- and he contributed 11 points and 8 rebounds in his 17 minutes -- Randle could chuckle afterward about his game-long foul trouble.
"It's not foreign to me by any means," said Randle, as nearby teammates Shaun Pruitt and Trent Meacham failed to stifle laughs.
"You can laugh," Randle added, "because I laugh about it all the time."