VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Big Bubba towed through Houma
December 18, 2015
Egret in Flight
December 18, 2015
Houma native Lionheart Leslie caught the basket, surveyed the floor and then made his move to the bucket.
He got by the first wave of the defense, swooped into the paint and rose into the air. When he did, his body collided with a defender as he shot the basketball into the air. A whistle sounded, which indicated that the contact drew a foul. Not deterred by the physicality, the orange sphere Leslie shot upward kissed the backboard, landed on the front of the rim, then dropped into the hoop – all while Lionheart’s body laid on the ground, a byproduct from the contact.
It’s the same routine he’d done at least 1,000 times at Vandebilt Catholic High School when he was one of the area’s best players – a standout student athlete who led the Terriers to the playoffs for four-straight seasons.
But this particular layup had a bit more significance than those at Vandebilt – it had much more meaning. That’s because it came against a Pac-12 foe, which showed that Houma’s Lion can perform against literally anyone in the country.
Leslie is a junior for California State Fullerton these days, and he’s in the stretch run in his chase to fulfill is lifelong dream of being a professional basketball player.
It’s not a dream that lacks merit – Leslie can walk the walk on the hardwood.
In the aforementioned game against the Huskies, he scored 17 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from the 3-point line. Those numbers came in just 16 minutes of play. For the season, Leslie is averaging 9.3 points and 2.6 assists per game, while shooting 53 percent from the field for a Fullerton team that the local standout hopes to help turn around in his final two collegiate seasons.
The Titans are currently 6-2 on the season – not bad when one considers that the team was 9-22 a season ago.
“Everything is going great,” Leslie said. “We’re having success, and I’m really starting to come into my own here. I love my coaches and my teammates and we just want to keep playing well and doing the things that we’re capable of doing so that we can try and make the NCAA Tournament.”
For Leslie, basketball success has always been somewhat of a given. Not even just for himself, but his whole family.
Lionheart is the youngest of eight chidren born to Patricia and Raymond Leslie – a family full of basketball standouts.
Older brothers Raymond and Ike each had successful prep careers, and younger sister Sumar is arguably the best girls basketball player in the history of the Houma-Thibodaux area – a Vandebilt graduate who reached the professional ranks.
But Lionheart has made a mark on his own, as well. Leslie and the Terriers went on an epic run that was one of the most successful four-year stretches in the history of the school’s basketball program.
In the final three years of Leslie’s career, the Terriers never lost a district game, earning three-straight district titles. Vandebilt also was unbeaten at home, reaching the second round of the Class 4 A State Playoffs in each season.
“Lionheart is special. I’ve known that since he was in Biddy. You could see it even then,” former Vandebilt boys’ basketball coach Hank Washington said during Leslie’s senior season. “He’s a fierce competitor. He does things on the floor that just make you sit back and ask yourself, ‘Wait a minute, did he really just do that?”‘
Out of Vandebilt, Leslie signed with Blinn College – a struggling JUCO in Texas that needed a bit of an overhaul.
In Leslie’s freshman season, the Bucs went 18-14, but lost a lot of their conference games. Leslie averaged 9.0 points and 3.6 assists per game.
As a sophomore, those stats ballooned to 14.7 points per game, including a 59.1 percent field goal percentage. Blinn also upped their record to 23-9.
He was the heart and soul of the team often times – a guy Buccaneers coach Scott Schumacher said he couldn’t take off the floor.
“Lionheart really gives you everything that he has on the floor,” Schumacher said. “He’s so talented and does things with the ball that are wise beyond his years. He was a great player for us, and we’re certainly going to be leaving a big hole in our lineup trying to replace his offense, defense and leadership.”
Those are all traits that Leslie took with him to Fullerton, California – the program that earned the standout’s signature this past spring.
Leslie spent the summer working out hard in Houma in anticipation of his debut with the Titans, who are looking to build into a consistent winner under Dedrique Taylor, who is in his third season with the team, but has yet to record a winning season.
Leslie and the Titans hope to change that. At press-time, Cal State Fullerton is 6-2, and the local is a big piece of the success.
He started the season as a reserve, logging 13 minutes, 2 points and three assists in his debut against Loyola Marymount.
Since then, Leslie has cracked the starting lineup and is routinely among the team’s top scorers. On Dec. 4, he scored 12 points with 4 rebounds and 5 assists in a win against Seattle.
Two days later, he hammered Washington’s defense in a loss.
In that game, he was the most efficient offensive player on the floor.
With conference play about to begin, Leslie said his focus is on continuing to progress and push forward – one day at a time.
One layup at a time.
The same way he’s always done.
“I like it here. California is awesome. The weather is great, and my teammates and coaches are great,” Leslie said. “We just want to keep getting better and keep progressing and try and peak at the right time of the season.”
Vandebilt graduate Lionheart Leslie soars through the air for a layup during a game this season. Leslie averages 9.3 points per game for the Titans.
