First of 2 free flood risk discussion dinners tonight
February 24, 2015Nicholls’ victory no fluke
February 24, 2015
Houma’s only professional basketball player Sumar Leslie wants everyone to know she’s not retired.
In fact, she plans to return overseas to continue her career this summer, currently fielding interest from teams around the globe.
But while she waits, Leslie said she has a clear mission: she wants to give back to the kids.
Leslie recently created a youth organization called The Young Generation (TYG), which focuses on mentoring children through teaching them life lessons within the sport of basketball.
Leslie’s TYG movement has grown from its inception and now features 10 children from both Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes.
“A wise man once said that if you don’t take care of your future, then you’re doomed to repeat the mistakes of your past,” Leslie said. “I want to give back to our kids and teach them life lessons so that our community can be better in the future. Every child needs a role model. If I can help even just one kid learn to love the game of basketball, then all of this worth it for me.”
For Leslie, the entire process is personal – she said she’s long tried to find a way to give back to the game that’s given so much to her.
Leslie is one of the most celebrated women’s basketball players in the history of the sport in our area. While with the Lady Terriers, she accumulated school records in points (2,344), assists (562) and steals (495) in her five-year playing career, helping to lay the foundation of success that Vandebilt later used to win the state championship a few seasons later.
Out of high school, Leslie signed a scholarship with UL-Monroe, playing two seasons for the Sun Belt Conference university before transferring to Nicholls.
With the Colonels, Leslie’s collegiate career thrived. She averaged 15.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.6 steals per game as a senior, shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 42 percent from the 3-point line in those 30 games.
The stats helped Nicholls to enjoy a historic 2011-12 season – one in which the Colonels won their first-ever game in the Southland Conference Tournament, a 79-59 shellacking of then-No. 1-seed Central Arkansas.
Out of college, Leslie became the first-ever Houma-born woman to sign a professional basketball contract when she inked a one-year deal with the San German Atleticas, helping lead the upstart team to the second round of the league’s layoffs in her rookie season. She averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during her more than 10-game run, joining the team in the middle of its season and immediately helping to turn around its season.
After playing in Puerto Rico, Leslie opted to rest in 2013 before returning in 2014 to play for the Louisiana Bayou Angels in Baton Rouge.
While playing for the showcase team in Baton Rouge, Leslie led the team in scoring, assists and steals. Along the way, she said her agent received a call that a two-year, high-dollar contract in Puerto Rico was imminent if she continued her dominant play with the Bayou Angels.
Then it happened.
While playing for the Bayou Angels this past May, Leslie made a steal and pushed the ball up the floor. While rising up for a layup, she was bumped by a defender, which threw her center of gravity a little bit off. She landed awkwardly on one foot – the weight of the improper landing causing her ankle to dislocate, which also severely fractured a bone in her leg.
Instead of going back to the professional ranks, Leslie went straight to an operating table. Instead of being engaged in intense competition in the beautiful Puerto Rican beach lands, she was left on crutches for the summer with a recovery time of four-to-six months.
“Being injured was one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever had to do in my life,” Leslie said. “I’m not the kind of person that can just lay in bed or sit on the couch. Having to slow down was hard for me. It got my mind wandering, which led to some of these ideas getting into my head.”
With the rehab now done and the pain out the way, Leslie’s focus is on giving back. That’s where TYG comes into play.
The local pro said she accepts both boys and girls ages 6 and up. While learning from Leslie, young players learn all basketball basics – shooting, dribbling, passing, rebounding and defensive posture. But more importantly, they get to enjoy life lessons and teachings from the area’s only current local pro.
Leslie said as her membership base grows, she has plans to host camps, workshops and other gatherings to keep children active in the community.
Don’t have kids, but want to get your body in shape? She also does 1-on-1 personal training to any man or woman looking to lose weight or add muscle.
How long she can make TYG a reality – it depends on when she receives her next call from a professional team.
But she said for the time being, she’s loving the ability to give back.
“I’m having a blast. It’s so fulfilling to me to see these kids get better and better every day,” Leslie said. “It’s all about the kids. I think we all need to rally around the young generation and support them so that they can continue to grow.”
For rates or to book a session with Sumar Leslie, call or text her personal cell line at 985-991-8251.
Interested parents may also email sumarlesliebasketball@gmail.com.
Houma native Sumar Leslie is fully recovered from a terrible knee injury she sustained this past summer. With her health back in order, the local professional basketball player said she is hoping to share some of her knowledge with tomorrow’s stars. Leslie recently started a training and mentoring group called The Young Generation, designed to teach life lessons to children through sports.
