LAS VEGAS ⎯ Where in the world is Kawhi Leonard — in San Diego?
As in San Diego State. Not California. Not Southern California. None of those aforementioned Pac-10 schools expressed considerable interest in Leonard.
Incidentally, California’s Mr. Basketball was, as it turned out, California’s best-kept secret.
Oddly, Leonard was suspended in a sublime dimension, caught between the purgatory of celebrity and obscurity. Leonard didn’t just slip through the cracks. He fell through the San Andreas Fault.
Except Aztecs’ head coach Steve Fisher heard about him, and Leonard fell right into his lap. And now, those bigger, luminary schools are pained to see what Leonard has morphed into.
Hey, Pac-10. Look at Leonard now.
For his 16-point, 21-rebound basketball ballad against UNLV in the final of the Mountain West Conference tournament — by the way, a 55-45 SDSU victory — Leonard was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, marking the first time a freshman has won the prestigious award in the MWC’s 11-year history.
“The question was asked, ‘Why are you here instead of a Pac-10 school?’” Fisher said. “He’s at San Diego State for this. He knew where he belonged. He knew where people would care for him. … He trusted in us. Every ball that comes off the board is his. He was sensational from the moment he walked on campus.”
Equally impressed, Rebels head coach Lon Kruger said Leonard plays with a veteran swagger unbecoming a college freshman.
“He just has an aura about him,” Kruger said. “It’s what you’re looking for in an athlete. He just delivers. He appears to be that type of guy that rises to the occasion. Everyone would like to recruit a guy to match up with him. It’s hard to find those.”
And almost impossible to ignore those diamond-in-the-rough gems. But for the better part of the recruiting process, many schools did just that.
It’s almost unimaginable that Leonard wasn’t immediately tethered to the dock of a turnkey program. It’s not like he just came out of nowhere, the Pacific tide washing him ashore without any indication or warning. No, Leonard was the first-ever boys basketball player from Riverside County to garner the state’s highest award. Furthermore, he was only the second player from the Inland Empire region to be selected, following Fontana’s Corey Benjamin for the 1995-1996 season.
Worse, Leonard’s biography is well-told, a easily-found story found on The Los Angeles Times Web site. His father was brutally murdered in January 2008, after being fatally shot at a carwash he ran in Compton. Tragically, the Times reported Leonard’s father’s murder will likely go unsolved.
As will the other question: Just how did scouts miss the mark on Leonard?
Perhaps, as some site suggested, it was a fear of lack of work ethic. But Leonard, a lanky 6-feet-7-inch forward, has as chiseled a frame as any forward in the MWC. And UNLV was outmatched on the interior. The Rebels couldn’t handle Leonard’s unparalleled versatility, a rare combination of dexterity, size and speed.
But Leonard was a hindrance all weekend, not only to the Rebels. In semifinal action, Leonard didn’t waver, knocking down two 3-pointer at the gates of the Aztecs’ matchup with top-seeded New Mexico. Even more impressive, Leonard shot without any hint of reasonable doubt, being that he entered the MWC tournament shooting under 20 percent from the field from the 3-point line.
On Saturday, the Aztecs needed Leonard to battle down low in the post, the low-scoring nature of the game dictating that. And Leonard produced, snatching rebounds like a elated dog snatches a Frisbee.
“He’s a warrior down there,” said Aztecs forward Billy White, who just had seven points, after scoring a career-best 28 points against the Lobos the day before.
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In the end, it wasn’t an impediment for the Aztecs as Leonard picked up the slack for his defensively-harassed teammate.
SDSU point guard D.J. Gay said Leonard’s emergence can be attributed to his tireless dedication to the game of basketball.
“Kawhi’s been a work horse since the day he stepped on campus. I’m glad he’s on our team, and we’re not playing against him,” he said.
Funny what could have been had Pac-10 scouts paid closer attention than Fisher.
“We don’t have to get on kneepads to recruit against the Pac-10,” Fisher said. “We don’t beat them often. But we got a guy that, right now, they would all love a mulligan to try to get involved with him. He’s a San Diego State Aztec, and he will be forever.”
Much to the chagrin of everyone else.
