by Devon Jeffreys, August 08, 2011

Taking a trip back to Champaign and his old stomping grounds at Assembly Hall had Deron Williams feeling fresh on Saturday.

In front of 6,000 Illini supporters, D-Will threw it back to his college days and put on a show.

Deron came out just short of a triple double, scoring 11 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out eight assists as his Blue team defeated the White team 70-67.

"It’s great to come back to Champaign, and I have a lot of fond memories of my time here," Deron said. "The older you get, the more you lose touch with guys and you don’t get to see them as much. Guys get families and are doing so many things, so it’s good for us to come back together, and hang out and get on the court."

Illini coach Bruce Weber was thrilled to have Deron come back for the day:

"Obviously, we're excited because he's kind of our star power, kind of the pied piper with the recognition and the success he's had," Weber said. "He can get guys to come back that we can't."

The highlight of the night was D-Will getting out on a fast break and throwing a bounce pass to himself for a highlight-reel dunk. Watch it below:

After the game, Deron hosted a reception at the Activities and Recreation Center for his Point of Hope Foundation. He said it was fun to come back and think about his time at Illinois.

"We just had a great group of guys when I was here," he said. "It was fun team to be around, a tight knit group. We did everything together as a team and tried to include everybody. I think that’s what made us so successful. We had such great chemistry off the court that it translated on the court. It’s one of the best teams in Illinois history."

RELATED STORIES

• Illini Alumni Show How It Should Be Done (Daily Herald, August 6, 2011)
• Deron Williams Alumni Game Interview (Illini Productions You Tube, August 6, 2011)
• Deron Williams Dunk at Illinois Alumni Game (Illini Productions YouTube, August 6, 2011)
• Illini mix old, new as send-off to Italy tour (Journal-Star, August 7, 2011)
• Illini alumni dazzle (The Commercial News, August 7, 2011)
• Deron Williams takes to the basketball court (The Sports Bank, August 6, 2011)
• D-Will returns to Champaign for charity (ESPN.com, August 1, 2011)
• Illini bring back fond basketball memories in Alumni game (The Telegraph, August 7, 2011)