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CHAMPAIGN — Illinois recruit Meyers Leonard, a fixture at the Assembly Hall, again sat in the bleachers behind the Illinois bench during Sunday's game against Iowa. On Friday, Bruce Weber was in Robinson to watch Leonard and the Maroons defeat Mount Zion.

"It was a pretty neat experience. A lot of people were hyped about it, asking me in school and stuff," Leonard said. "I just told them he was going to be there. I tend to step it up whenever I've played in front of him and I had 20 (points) and 11 (rebounds) the other night so it was good."

It's not often a Division I coach finds his way to the southern Illinois community and the folks there were pretty jacked up to have Weber there.

"We've got some crazy, rowdy guys," Leonard said. "They had this sign and it was just to welcome Bruce Weber and everything so they were excited and it was a lot of fun."

Leonard is expected to be on campus in the fall of 2010, the same season Jeff Jordan will be a senior. He hopes to get a chance to play in front of Jeff's dad, like the rest of the Illini did Sunday.

"It would be amazing," Leonard said. "I was surprised to see him. I looked over and I saw a guy was taking a picture of something with his phone and I was like, 'That's Michael Jordan.' "