CHICAGO - At one table, Luther Head mingled with Kendall Gill, two members of Illinois Final Four teams swapping laughs.
At another, Bruce Weber chatted up Dee Brown, who chatted up Jerrance Howard, who chatted up Lou Henson, who, with a timeless smile, chatted up everyone.
And at another, Deron Williams showed a tiny fan the gold medal he brought home from Beijing, minutes before he told Jerry Colangelo he wants another one.
"Like Ryan Baker said, I bleed blue and orange," said Nick Anderson, team MVP of the Flyin' Illini. "I'm Illini to the end."
The orange-and-blue stars came out Friday night in a swank Palmer House ballroom for Illini Hoop Legends, a charity dinner hosted by Williams. Several generations of former Illini - from Johnny "Red" Kerr to Jimmy Collins to Kenny Battle to Roger Powell - gathered to begin a weekend celebration of Illinois basketball.
It continues tonight with A Night of Legends, an alumni game at the Assembly Hall, featuring members of the 1989 and 2005 Final Four squads and standouts in between. Baker, lead sports anchor with Chicago's CBS 2 and a team manager with the Flyin' Illini, emceed Friday's event with about 300 in attendance.
"I'm really happy with the turnout we got and the support we got from all these guys," said Williams, the first UI player to compete for the U.S. in the Olympics. "It's going to be a fun weekend, as you can see. We've got the alumni game, the football game, it's going to be great. And when you can give back, it's a great feeling."
And Williams gave back, in a big way. The Jazz point guard announced a $300,000 endowment for the I-Fund in his name. The dinner also benefited five charitable recipients, including Williams' Point of Hope foundation, which has raised about $150,000 in just over a year.
"Of all the wins, all the success he's had," UI coach Bruce Weber said of Williams' philanthropy, "This makes me the most proud."
"I don't believe he grew up here (Williams is from Texas), but he came to the area and he wants to give back to our community," said Rachel Wright, director of administrative services at Champaign-Urbana's Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club, one benefactor of the dinner. "That's a great thing, and we're very grateful."
Williams acknowledged he will play tonight. He also said he informed Colangelo, the architect of Team USA's gold-medal run and a former Illini team captain, that he's on board for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Tonight's alumni game rekindled competitive spirits, as well. Dee Brown half-joked with Stephen Bardo, "You better play." Asked what he is looking forward to the most at the alumni game, Williams said with a straight face, "Winning."
"When you get an opportunity to see some of these guys, especially some of the younger guys and Deron, it's a special thing," Battle said. "You get all of the players, the coaching staffs, fans, all together in one room, that's rare. It's very rare."
Said UI assistant Jerrance Howard, "This is like a dream. Ever since I was 6 years old, I knew I wanted to go to Illinois. From watching Kendall Gill and Kenny Battle throw it off the backboard, to watching Lou Henson on the sideline, to actually sit down and have a conversation with him, that's what it's all about."
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