Leslie hopes for ‘powerhouse year’ in 2016-17

Anyone around Houma can tell you that Lionheart Leslie is really good at basketball.

It’s not exactly a secret. It’s been that way for years.

At Vandebilt, Leslie and the Terriers dominated the local scene. Under his watch, the team never lost a home game or a district game – a stat which made the lightning quick combo guard rank among the elite guards in Louisiana in his recruiting class.

But what many around Houma don’t know is that Leslie is now at Cal-State Fullerton and is about to begin his senior season.

He’s bigger today than he was at Vandebilt – by about 40 pounds. He’s stronger, too. The added weight is all muscle, which fit nicely into the slender guard’s 5-foot, 10-inch and now almost 200-pound frame.

And he’s hungrier than ever, too – on a mission to help lead the Titans to the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17.

Leslie has high expectations for both himself and his team as he enters his final collegiate run – a season he hopes can jump-start a professional career once it’s complete.

The Houma native said this week that he and his team aren’t going to take no for an answer in the upcoming year.

“It’s going to be a powerhouse year for us,” Leslie said. “We’re going to do whatever it takes and whatever we need to do to get the job done. We are only embracing the positive – nothing negative. We’re all going to band together and refuse to take no for an answer.”

For Leslie, year one in Fullerton was a pretty successful run.

As a junior, the combo guard scored 8.3 points and pulled down 3.1 rebounds per game for a Fullerton team, which battled injuries and limped to a 10-20 record.

Prior to his time at Fullerton, Leslie was an All-Conference guard at Blinn College where he signed out of high school.

But Leslie’s value to the Titans is far deeper than anything he produces on the stat sheet.

As a defender, Leslie is tenacious and is among the best in the Big West Conference.

He secured a team-high 28 steals last season, and was the team’s best on-ball defender for the season.

Leslie said taking those assignments are par for the course and are expected.

He said he doesn’t fear any player – big or small – and is capable of defending multiple positions, despite his 5-foot, 10-inch frame.

“Sometimes you just have to do what it takes to make it happen,” Leslie said. “If he’s bigger or whatever, that doesn’t necessarily matter much to me. It just means I have to work extra hard to deny him the ball or to keep him out of the spots on the floor that he wants to be. I love those assignments. I want to be in those positions. I want to know that it’s on me to try and keep those guys from getting comfortable and doing big things.”

“Lionheart is such an energizer,” Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor added during the season. “His intensity is really good for our team, and he can be so very disruptive to our opponents with his activity.”

But now, Leslie wants more.

Much, much more.

The local guard said he’s worked tirelessly throughout the offseason so that he can help Fullerton have a better run in 2016-17.

Physically, Leslie is noticeably bigger than he’s ever been – weight he said will come in handy when he drives to the basket and absorbs contact in the upcoming year.

“It’ll be like I won’t even feel that it’s happening,” Leslie said.

The guard has also worked hard in the gym with his teammates throughout the summer to build the chemistry and cohesion the team needs to succeed.

Leslie said Fullerton was close in 2016-17, but just couldn’t quite find the mix it needed to win the tough, hard-fought conference games.

With another year to work out all of the kinks, Leslie said the Titans will be a sleeper in 2016-17 – a team he believes can challenge for the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re ready, man,” he said. “People don’t think we can do it, but we know it’s possible. It’s a different team and a different mindset, and for me, it’s my last chance at it. I’m leaving everything out on the floor and I know our team is, too. It’s going to be a great season – we know it. We can’t wait for it to start.”

Lionheart Leslie

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