LAFAYETTE – Elijah McGuire is deciding to take full advantage of his final year of collegiate eligibility.

The Louisiana-Lafayette star running back is joining the men’s basketball team for the remainder of the season, effective immediately. The university announced this information Monday afternoon shortly before a press conference with coach Bob Marlin.

“We’re excited to have Eli join our basketball team,” Marlin said in a news release. “He has a tremendous passion for both sports and this (playing basketball) has been something he has wanted to do since he first enrolled at UL. This is his first opportunity to join our program and we’re anxious to see what he can do.