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Post by sbuSTUDent2005 on Mar 19, 2008 19:45:15 GMT -5
“I envision myself coming in and making an impact,” Leonard said. “I can put the numbers up, and help us win. Anything that coach wants me to do, I can do it.”
I love how he's already saying "us." He's months away from putting on the brown and white jersey and he's already seeing himself as a member of the Bonaventure community. He sounds like a kid with a lot of determination and competitiveness, just like Matthews. I can only think that having these two competing for the same spot will make them both tremedously better.
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Post by coach on Mar 19, 2008 20:36:30 GMT -5
have to put them both on the court together. Let them light it up with 2 big men down low and a scrappy, quick as hell point
sounds tough
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Post by wgt on Mar 19, 2008 20:37:19 GMT -5
Ceharv…36% of his points came from treys, so he is certainly not just a perimeter scorer as indicated in the above article. Compare to Z who had 53% of his shots coming from beyond the arc. Z actually shot his treys better than inside the arc (.356 treys/.352 inside). LL however converted on 48% of his attempts inside the arc & as indicated gets to the line a lot. 22% of his total points come from the stripe. This is a strong indicator of taking it to the hole. Congrats to coach & staff for the continued hard work on the recruiting trail. Leonard is a big piece in the recruiting puzzle to replace the loss of 64% of our scoring. When you outscore over 1,100 players in the CCCAA with good shooting %s you gotta take notice. I loved his comments about Bona. The Hickey better have Philly cheese steaks every day (maybe they do). Welcome Lewis!
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Post by az63 on Mar 19, 2008 22:55:51 GMT -5
Don't want to be a wet blanket among all my salivating brother posters but the teams that have offered this guy are all from lower level leagues. In addition, the league he played in is mainly a football league; no real strong hoops being played in the Foothills Conf.
Hope all the optimism proves correct, but let's wait 'til next November to see if he can compete in the A-10.
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Post by tomangelone on Mar 20, 2008 2:47:06 GMT -5
Don't want to be a wet blanket among all my salivating brother posters but the teams that have offered this guy are all from lower level leagues. In addition, the league he played in is mainly a football league; no real strong hoops being played in the Foothills Conf. Hope all the optimism proves correct, but let's wait 'til next November to see if he can compete in the A-10. Another nay-sayer. Let's re-read all of the articles at hand before we proclaim Mr. Leonard an inferior recruit: "Leonard was hearing from Alabama, New Orleans, UC-Santa Barbara and Robert Morris (he also made a visit there), and during his visit to St. Bonaventure, he fielded phone calls offering scholarships to San Diego State and Fresno State."That does not sound like a recruit that I would turn an upward nose to. This kid was the leading scorer of the Philly Public League in his junior and senior seasons and he had a great career at a very successful JUCO in California. I'll take this kid (and his Philly roots) eight days a week. 25.2 points and 6 rebounds per game doesn't sound like a kid that I'd refuse considering the numbers of our most recent JUCO transfers (including Fereti). Let's see what this strong-willed Philly kid has in store for the Brown and White before we start with the "wet blanket" talk.
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Post by wgt on Mar 20, 2008 7:05:11 GMT -5
The Foothill Conference is comprised of 9 teams. Leonard was not only that conference’s top scorer but as it turned out he was the # 1 scorer in the entire CCCAA which is made up of about 90 teams throughout the state. At Frankford HS in Phil he scored 20ppg in 21 games against some competitive teams. A previous poster's comparison to Kevin Houston may potentially become a reality.
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Post by maplehurst on Mar 20, 2008 8:16:35 GMT -5
Fordham had a player like Leonard a few years ago. His name was Smush Parker. Parker was a high scorer at a JC in Idaho. Parker did very well under Bob Hill at Fordham and is now in the NBA.
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Post by mikenice on Mar 20, 2008 9:11:57 GMT -5
Fordham had a player like Leonard a few years ago. His name was Smush Parker. Parker was a high scorer at a JC in Idaho. Parker did very well under Bob Hill at Fordham and is now in the NBA. No need for that comparison. AZ made a good point. All he said was this guy put up numbers in a weak Juco league and he didn't have a staggering offer list. Who hear knew of Lewis Leonard until recently? Smush Parker played at Powerhouse Souther Idaho. The same place that produced Fereti. Z averaged something like 14-15 points on a dominant team. Leonard averaged 25 on a .500 team in a lower conference. Sorry Tommy, that's not the most impressive list in the world. "Hearing from Alabama" and having your highest offers being Fresno State and SDSU (while decent programs in their own right) isn't exactly telling. Over the phone this weekend no less. Who knows exactly what schools really thought of him? Following recruiting for years I've seen plenty of guys who list big-time schools showing interest in them. Then they go and sign with Louisiana-Monroe. I hope he's a serious contributor to this team for two years. Atleast he's someone who fills up the stat sheet whatever level he's at, unlike Sol's Juco guys who'd average 8 points 4 rebounds and 5 assists or 6 points 6 rebounds for the big men.
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Post by az63 on Mar 20, 2008 12:19:49 GMT -5
mikenice, Thanks for actually reading my post. As I said "teams that have offered" - Alabama, et al, have only inquired. I have been following college hoops very closely since 1958 and have seen lots of players far surpass expectations - Mike Riordan is still my all-time favorite overachiever- and lots who never made it into the rotation even though they were touted as "can't miss" - Mike Rooney is my poster boy for this category. He was the best pure shooter I've ever seen - to this day - but he had trouble between the ears. So let's hope LL lives up to expectations - I wish him all the best.
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Post by B02 on Mar 20, 2008 12:32:30 GMT -5
Can we all just agree that this coaching staff is bringing in more highly-regarded recruits who have a much better chance of succeeding than Sol's trade-mark under the radar type guys like Dave Fox, Andy Smith, and the list just goes on and on
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Post by thesocalkid on Mar 20, 2008 13:47:30 GMT -5
az63, the Foothill Conference for a JC is just as good any in the Nation. Gotta give the kid credit when its due and to lead that Conf. is pretty good. He will be a good addition for the Brown and White. It may also be a plan by the current coaching staff to zero in on players from the same area to play as a team for the Bonnies.
Sunny and Mild
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Post by mangham on Mar 21, 2008 10:33:59 GMT -5
Kevin Houston.......... ;D
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Post by LumsdnA10Academc98 on Mar 22, 2008 6:37:45 GMT -5
Kevin Houston.......... ;D Would be nice, willie, but let's not forget Kevin was a sharpshooter. This isn't Voshon Leonard, rather it's some guy who shot 35 percent from downtown at the JC ranks. I see some mixture of Wade Dunston, Fereti & Rashaan Palmer, which, given out circumstances, isn't a terrible thing at all. Welcome, Mr. Leonard.
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Post by Chuck on Mar 22, 2008 9:47:31 GMT -5
Lewis Leonard is a 6'4" wing who scores from behind the 3 point arc, from mid range and on drives to the basket. Sounds like a description of Kevin Houston's game. Even Houston's senior year stats are almost identical to Leonard's stats. Houston shot 42% from the field, Leonard 44%. Houston shot 35% from behind the arc and Leonard 36%. Like Houston, Leonard led his team in trips to the foul line, which as stated by WGT is proof that Leonard is taking it to the basket. Houston led Bonnies with 5.7 foul shots a game and to think Leonard is averaging an incredible 10 free throws a game. Leonard is a scorer, but he is much more than just a shooter. Houston is a good comparison to Leonard's game, a 6'4" wing who can score in many ways. A wing who can score in many way is not a description of Dunston, Fereti, Palmer and I'll add Ahmad Smith. Only other recent player I can think of is AJ Hawkins, but even AJ was not a natural shooter (it had to be developed). Kevin Houston's senior stats gobonnies.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2000-2001/teamcume.html
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Post by Chuck on Mar 22, 2008 10:02:54 GMT -5
Even Houston's JUCO stats are similar to Leonard's. Bottom is copied from link at the bottom. Have to be impressed with Houston shooting 54% from the field. We can only hope Leonard comes close to matching Houston's "consummate warrior" personality. It is obvious Kevin has good basketball skills but what we were most impressed with was his competitive spirit,” said Hamilton. “He is what coaches like to call a consummate warrior and that type of personality and spirit is what want here at the University of Miami.” Houston, a 6-4 215 pound guard/forward, was named first-team All-American after averaging 23.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in leading Seward County (KS) Community College to a 35-3 record and a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association Final Four. “Kevin is the type of kid who will battle right to the end,” said Seward head coach Dave Brown. “He can beat you in a lot of different ways. He has the ability to put the ball on the floor and score in the lane, he can shoot the three and is a very aggressive rebounder. His biggest strength however is his work ethic” Houston, the Jayhawk West Conference and Region 6 Tournament MVP, stepped up his game in the National Tournament averaging 33.5 points per game en route to being named to the All-Tournament team. Houston connected on 307-of-563 (.545) from the field this season including 47-0f-128 (.367) from three-point range. He leaves Seward County CC as the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,485 points. His 893 points this season ranks No. 1 on the school’s all-time single season list. hurricanesports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/0430980.html
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