CHAMPAIGN - The players blew kisses to the crowd.

And the crowd kissed them right back, over and over and over again.

It was billed as "A Night of Legends," but Saturday's alumni basketball reunion was also a night of friendships renewed, memories awakened, and of love that has clearly never left.

In fact, the event that unfolded for two hours inside the steamy Assembly Hall could more accurately have been called, "Illini Basketball Love Fest."

It was a chance to see Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head swish 3s again. It was a chance to see Kendall Gill operate around the basket. It was a chance to see Frank Williams, Brian Cook and so many other former Illini stars run and and shoot and laugh and hug as 15,417 appreciative fans let their cheers and applause rain down without end.

It was also a chance to look toward the video board when they replayed Nick Anderson's game-winning buzzer-beater against Indiana in 1989, only this time Anderson himself was watching from courtside.

When Anderson's shot hit nothing but net, the crowd predictably went crazy, only this time teammates from his Flyin' Illini squad pumped their fists and looked at their teammate/hero admirably. Marcus Liberty gave him a hug.

It was hard to tell who loved it all more, the players or the fans. "It feels so great to be back," said Gill, a member of the 1989 Flyin' Illini team. "I felt right at home tonight."

Gill was one of 30 players who were honored after the game by having their jersey hoisted into the rafters of the Assembly Hall and that impressed Gill as much as anything.

"That means everything to me," he said. "I have wanted that up there for so long. That will build a legacy.

"This place is a shrine to me and this just adds to the mystique of it."For Lincoln's Brian Cook, who plays for the Orlando Magic in the NBA, the night was a kind of family reunion.

"It was great to see all the guys again. The locker room was great. Hopefully it brought back a lot of memories for the fans. I know it brought back a lot of memories for me. Some of these players were my heroes when I was still in high school coming to the Assembly Hall. But, man, it was hot out there."

At halftime, the crowd stood to salute Deron Williams, the recent Olympic gold medalist, who slipped the red ribbon and gold medal over his neck and walked hand-in-hand with Illini alum Jerry Colangelo, the director of USA Basketball who was in charge of selecting the USA Olympic squad.

Earlier in the day, Williams presented the university with a check for $300,000 to be used to endow a scholarship.

"I'm at a great point in my life that I'm able to give back to the university," Williams said. "Who knows what would have happened to me if I hadn't gone to the University of Illinois?"

We do know that he has hit the jackpot playing for the Utah Jazz in the NBA, having just signed a new $70 million contract.

With one exception, no one seemed to get hurt. The lone casualty happened when Brian Cook came down with a rebound and his elbow cracked Lucas Johnson across the forehead, opening a gash that sent Johnson to the floor with blood pouring from his head.

Oh, yes, there was a game, played by competitive players who wore the Illini orange and blue throughout the last 20 years. They heaved in 3s, got their share of dunks and mostly had fun passing the ball and laughing, even if their huffing and puffing indicated that they found it a little difficult to breathe.

The Blue team, anchored by 2005 Final Four members Williams, Brown, Head and Roger Powell, and coached by former Illini assistants Jimmy Collins and Mark Coomes, won, 84-70.

The Blue squad was led by Deron Williams, who scored 19 points. Roger Powell added 13 and Luther Head had 11.

The White team, anchored by the 1989 Flyin' Illini team and coached by Lou Henson, was led by Gill with 14 and Anderson with 13. BLUE 84, WHITE 70 Blue (84) Anderson 13, Battle (DNP), Bardo 0, Gill 14, Liberty 5, Small 3, Garris 6, Notree 2, Hester 3, Boline 0, McClain 8, Griffin 2, Bradford 0, Johnson 2, F. Williams 5, Cook 6, Howard 0. White (70) Head 11, Powell 13, D. Williams 19, Brown 6, Caldwell 2, Beyers 2, Gee (DNP), Turner (DNP), Davis 2, Mast 8, Cross 5, Melton 3, Harrington 9, Hicks 4.

mtupper@herald-review.com