Jonathan Leach '17 Recruiting Profile

I am a student athlete in my senior year, who has received specialized education specifically designed to prepare me for college and career.  I am very thankful for being homeschooled because it has taught me the value of being self-motivated, organization skills, how to learn with minimal assistance, and adapt to various circumstances and environments. My current curriculum consists of AP classes and College Algebra as a concurring course at my local community college. I currently have all “A’s” and a 3.6 (out of 4.0) GPA.  I have taken the SAT and ACT standardized tests and will continue to take these tests over the course of this year.  My profile shows my most recent ACT test score.

            I enjoy all sports but have a passion for basketball.  This passion has and will continue to drive me to attain a level as a ball player to not only compete at the college level but also as a professional athlete overseas once my college career is complete.  I am driven by basketball not only because of the competition but because of what I learn from the game; team work, the value of hard work and the satisfaction of the results, learning from your mistakes, how to win with humility and loose without giving up.  Most important is knowing how to optimize the effectiveness of the team, finding a way to make the sum of the pieces greater than the individual parts.  I have a high basketball IQ and will bring intelligence, work ethic, leadership, energy, and character that will make the team perform optimally.  Specifically, I am primarily a perimeter player (a shooting guard). I prefer working out of the triple threat, but am also good at attacking off the dribble both in a half court setting and in transition. I am a good 3pt shooter from a spot up, off the dribble, off a pick and out of tripe threat. I shoot 85%from the line. I have excellent court vision and good ball handling skills, especially for my height.  These are the advantages of having played point guard until recently when I hit my growth spurt last year.  When handling the ball I can face up or use my body, depending on my defender and the game situation. When finishing at the rim I can go left or right, although I prefer to go right.  Within 7 feet of the rim I can use my right or left hand. Right now my skills with my back to the basket are decent but improving as I focus on strengthening this part of my game.  Defensively I can guard several positions, from forwards to guards. I use my length to overcome those who are quicker and fundamental positioning along with a 6’10” wing span to guard those in the post who are stronger.  This season I average 3-4 blocks a game. Also I can work in either a zone or a man-to-man.

I am a Christian and a member of the church of Christ. I was a Boy Scout and attained the Life Scout award.  I also swam competitively till the age of 16 when I decided to focus 100% on basketball.