Elijah Johnson, who fell ill Saturday morning on his basketball recruiting visit to Kansas University, was feeling much better about 10 Saturday night.

That’s when the 6-foot-2, 183-pound point guard from Cheyenne High in Las Vegas revealed his decision to become a Jayhawk.

It was quite a load off the mind of Rivals.com’s No. 27-rated player, who chose the Jayhawks over Texas and Oklahoma.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Johnson, fighting off flu-like symptoms during a phone interview while still in Lawrence, where he and family members have been since Friday.

“This was the best choice for me out there. In my opinion, it’s the best place to be.”

Johnson has wanted to be a Jayhawk for a while now, his dad, Marcus, said.

“He’s liked Kansas since the third grade,” Marcus Johnson said. “He’s always wanted to come to Kansas. We (family members) came out here with him, and we can see why he likes it so much.”

Johnson – he sat behind the team bench at Friday’s Late Night in the Phog – acknowledged he has been a Jayhawk fan for years.

“I have been liking them a long time. I used to live in Indiana,” said Johnson, who moved to Vegas during his middle-school years. “I really like watching Mario (Chalmers), Sherron (Collins).”

In fact, in describing what he brings to KU’s team next year, he said: “Hopefully (be) another Sherron Collins, making plays and being a true point guard.”

Johnson, known as an incredible athlete with a nice shooting touch, said he had a good idea he’d become a Jayhawk after attending last spring’s Jayhawk Invitational AAU tournament. Yet he was sure after Friday’s Late Night, getting the OK from his family to commit a day later.

“It was tight. It was fun,” Johnson said of Late Night. “I like the fans and the system, the Late Night, the whole thing. I liked it all, being able to be with the team, talk with the team.”

Johnson showed deep shooting range during a pre-Late Night shooting session Friday at the fieldhouse.

“I make both shots,” he said, referring to inside and outside hoops.

Dad Marcus said Elijah took the college recruiting process seriously. At one point, UCLA and Purdue were options.

“He’s been doing his research on a lot of schools about what they have,” Marcus said. “He’s taken an interest in Kansas a long time. I think it’s a two-way road. I think they (KU coaches) like us as much as we like them. There’s great rapport.”

Marcus admitted Late Night was key, though.

“I think he had decided before Late Night. Of course, that was extra icing on the cake,” Marcus said. “His heart was set on Kansas. From what I see in this whole community, he’ll really like it here. We can see why he likes it so much.”

KU, which has two scholarships to award in the Class of 2009, has received a commitment from Thomas Robinson, a 6-8 power forward from Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, Mass. Coach Bill Self has said he will award three or four scholarships with the possibility of early entries to the NBA.

On campus this weekend are: Xavier Henry, 6-6 from Putnam City (Okla.) High; Dominic Cheek, 6-5 from St. Anthony High in Jersey City, N.J.; and Michael Snaer, 6-4 from Rancho Verde High in Moreno Valley, Calif.

Self cannot comment on recruiting in accordance with NCAA rules. Johnson will sign his letter of intent during the early November signing period.