Kentucky freshman guard Alex Legion ponders move to Illinois

Kentucky freshman guard Alex Legion, who has announced a desire to transfer, is seriously considering a move to play basketball at Illinois.

A Parade All-America last spring from Inkster, Mich., the 6-foot-4 Legion apparently will decide between the Illini and Notre Dame, although there are indications that his father would like Legion to return home and play at Michigan. A decision could come as early as Thursday.

"The bottom line is he's ready to get out of there,'' Tim Green, Legion's former AAU coach, told the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. "He wants to move on.''

Legion averaged 6.7 points in six games at Kentucky, and insiders say he's a high-level pro prospect because of his athletic ability and shooting range. Yet there are plenty of subplots to Legion's next move.

A star at Oak Hill (Va.) Academy last season, he first signed with Michigan. When Tommy Amaker was fired as coach last spring, Legion was granted a release from his letter of intent by new Wolverines coach John Beilein. Legion eventually enrolled at Kentucky, but a rift emerged between Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie and Legion.

Gillispie said late last week that Legion wasn't a member of the team. According to a report by the Louisville Courier-Journal, Legion was granted permission to speak with one school in particular, but Kentucky spokesman Scott Stricklin wasn't sure which school that would be.

As of Wednesday night, that school wasn't Illinois, a source said. Bad feelings emerged after former Illini assistant Tracy Webster left abruptly in September for the same job at Kentucky. When Webster left for Kentucky, the Illini hired Jerrance Howard, a former Illini guard who worked in Kentucky's basketball operations office.

Howard is the likely connection between Illinois and Legion. An Illini offense in desperate need of scorers and playmakers could use a boost from a talent such as Legion.

Legion apparently wants to transfer before the start of the second semester. He would then sit out a year under the NCAA transfer rules and become eligible to play for the second semester of next season. He would have 3 1/2 years of eligibility remaining.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com <http://www.sj-r.com> and www.pjstar.com <http://www.pjstar.com> .