As the high school basketball season begins this weekend, many top recruits are deciding on their college destination. Salesian point guard, Markel Leonard, made the call last month to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The senior took his official visit on the weekend of October 12-14.
Leonard felt that the Mustangs' playing style fit his basketball skills. "I saw myself fitting into their offensive style of play and I like how they get after it on defense," said Leonard. "Last year, they were in the top 30 in defense and top 40 in efficiency. They can run sets as well as play up-tempo depending on whom they are playing. Also, they set a lot of ball screens for the point guard so that will benefit me."
Salesian Head Coach Bill Mellis concurs. "I think Markel will fit into Cal Poly's program very well. They do a lot of things offensively that allow for their guards to be put in a position to make shots and make decisions that will directly lead to the success of their team. I believe that Markel makes very good decisions on the court, so I am excited to see him be a factor in their future success."
Academics have always played a critical role in Leonard's recruiting decision. "It is one of the best schools to attend on the west coast," said Leonard. "It's a very competitive school to get into...so competitive that you have to know what major you want to study coming in as a freshman. I also chose Cal Poly because they have my field of study that I'm interested in (Kinesiology)."
The relationship with the coaching staff was important to Leonard. "Sam Kirby and Joe Callero (head coach) recruited me," said Leonard. "What I liked about both of those men was that they were honest with me. They told me what I needed to hear and not what I wanted to hear. They didn't make any guarantees or promises. They told me that if I come to Cal Poly, I have to work for everything. What I like about their coaching staff is that they push you to be the best you can be as a student, athlete, and a person. They care about you as a person just as much as they do on the basketball court."
Coach Callero is going into his third year at Cal Poly as the Mustangs coach with 12-19 and 15-15 seasons in his first two years. The current roster has a very Northern California feel to it as it includes freshman Max Betkowski (Galileo High), senior Drake U'u (Rio Americano High), and sophomore Anthony Silvestri (Sacred Heart Cathedral).
Leonard's current Salesian squad boasts Jabari Bird and Mario Dunn, who have been a close knit unit. As a result, team bonding is important.
"The players at Cal Poly were great," said Leonard. "They are high character type of guys. On my official visit, I bonded with them right away. They treated me as if I was already on the team. That was what sold me and made me want to go to Cal Poly. The team chemistry was great. It reminded me a lot of how my high school team is this year and how we were last year."
Last year's Salesian squad accumulated 33 wins in a state title winning year. Despite committing before the season, Leonard recognizes that he still has more work to put in.
"During my senior year of high school of high school and the summer, I most definitely need to stay in the weight room and get stronger," said Leonard. "Guys on the college level are very strong. I also need to work on getting more explosive when jumping. Other than that, I'll continue working on the things I've been working on like my shooting ball handling and fine tuning my leadership skills."
Coach Mellis had these observations on Leonard's areas of development. "I would say that even though Markel is a good shooter, he needs to continue to grow to become a "lights out" shooter and he needs to continue to improve his ball handling. There is always an adjustment when a high school player makes the jump to college, and I believe that if Markel continues to improve the way he has over his career, he will have a good chance, once he gets there, to adjust to the strength and speed of the game at the next level."
The Big West expands during Leonard's freshman year to include Boise State and San Diego State. The conference will have twelve total members with ten being from California schools. Leonard will have familiar opposing point guards that include UC Riverside's Tajai Johnson (Vallejo 2012) and San Diego State's D'Erryl Williams (Sheldon 2013).
Any main contributor to a winning program will always have the itch to play and not sit the bench. Even though it is a year away, Leonard believes he can have an immediate impact on the San Luis Obispo campus.
"As a freshman, I expect to have some type of impact. Cal Poly needed ball handlers and a floor general for the 2013-2014 season. So, I think that depending on how I perform in practice, that will determine my role on the team next year as a freshman."
Salesian enters the season as the NCP preseason boys basketball top ranked team. With a section title win, the Pride could be playing in the Open Division bracket. Watch for Leonard to guide the Pride to the state postseason before heading south to San Luis Obispo in the fall of 2013.
