Yesterday, Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright named University of Wisconsin standout Jon Leuer to the 10-man Select Team that will train against Team USA in New York Aug. 9-13, preparing them for the FIBA World Championships.
In a recent interview with Gary Parrish of CBSSportsline.com, Wright declared Leuer the best college player at last month’s camp in Las Vegas.
“Maybe I haven’t followed him as well because he’s from the Midwest, and maybe he wouldn’t surprise anybody else. But he’s got great size, he puts it on the floor, he passes it, he can shoot it. He’s just a ballplayer,” Wright said.
I recently had a conversation with Leuer, and discussed what he’s doing to improve his game.
By Paul M. Banks and David Kay
“I definitely want to improve my shot, being able to put the ball on the floor and being a presence down low, being able to score in the post,” he said.
Leuer, a 6’10”, 240 pound senior power forward led the Badgers in scoring (15.4 points per game) and rebounds (5.8 per game) last season.
“The swing offense definitely allows a big to step out and shoot it, allows freedom to make plays, definitely works to my strengths,” Leuer said about his success in the system.
The strengths in Leuer’s game:
Weaknesses:
Player Summary Leuer is an extremely versatile power forward for someone his size. Some scouts absolutely love his skill level and believe he is a first round lock. Others are not quite as sold. Leuer has shown steady improvement during his time at Wisconsin and if he can prove to be a more dominating player during his senior season, there is no reason to think he does not get numerous first round looks.
Player Comparison: Ryan Anderson. Despite being 6-10, Anderson relies more on his perimeter game at the next level which is something Leuer should be able to take advantage of as well. Both players have more finesse games than bringing physicality to the power forward position, but their versatility is what allows them to stand out.
As for Leuer’s favorite player…
“”I always liked Kevin Garnett a lot, he’s a tough competitor, has a lot of different post moves, definitely someone I can try to learn something from.”
Written by Paul M. Banks, President and CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest focused webzine. He is also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, the Chicago Tribune’s blog network, Walter Football.com, the Washington Times Communities, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank and @bigtenguru