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  • AP Illinois center Meyers Leonard (12) pulls down a rebound against Purdue forward Robbie Hummel (4) and guard Kelsey Barlow (12), behind Leonard, as Illinois guard Brandon Paul (3) looks on in the second half of Illinois' loss to Purdue on Wednesday.

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February 20, 2012

Illinois big man Leonard sets his own limits

Craig Pearson The Tribune-Star

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Meyers Leonard’s 7-foot-1, 245-pound frame is the picture of the prototypic offender if NBA general managers used sketch artists for their first-round picks.

“With that size in the NBA, you can go as high as you want,” Purdue forward Robbie Hummel said of Leonard after hitting clutch shots and helping Travis Carroll limit Leonard to nine points and 12 rebounds last week in Assembly Hall.

Leonard’s athleticism and all-around skills have him projected as high as 11th in the first round by multiple websites. As a 19-year-old with as much upside as any player in the Big Ten, the Robinson, Ill., native will make millions playing basketball. It’s a matter of when, not if.

“He’s definitely talented. He definitely has potential to be a first-round pick. If he works at it, he’ll be a good NBA player,” Hummel continued outside a joyful Purdue lockerroom.

Leonard has the drive to be great.

As a freshman, he was lost, posting averages of 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds.

Meyers transformed his body and his game followed. The tattoos on his massive triceps read “forever blessed.” The truth is he’s blessed with unlimited potential.

His success at the next level, like Hummel intimated, is not guaranteed.

His success at Illinois was never guaranteed, especially after that pedestrian freshman year.

So Leonard went to work during the offseason, and he’s produced like a big-time player. With a scoring average of 12.9 points on 58.5 percent field-goal shooting, the latter a mark that ranks 16th in the NCAA, Leonard has emerged as one of the top big men in America.

“My mentality first of all, I became a lot more mature,” Leonard said. “But also physically, I put on 15-20 pounds of muscle. I became a better athlete. Put a lot of time in the gym, working out 6 or 7 times a week. Shots every day. Waking up at 7 a.m. and running.”

In early January, Leonard put up 14 points against Ohio State All-American Jared Sullinger. The Fighting Illini beat the nearly unbeatable Buckeyes to go to 15-3 overall and 4-1 in the league — a game ahead of Ohio State.

The young Illini didn’t handle the success well. A two-point loss at Penn State was followed by a four-point loss to Wisconsin — the team’s first home loss of the season. Then a road loss to Minnesota.

Leonard struggled with foul trouble in a defensive slugfest with Michigan State, but the Illini escaped with a 42-41 win.

A four-point loss at home to Northwestern capped a run of eight straight games decided by five points or less. It was also the beginning of a five-game losing streak.

“It’s been tough. There’s been some ups and downs, no doubt about it,” Leonard said following the loss to Purdue in which coach Bruce Weber criticized Leonard’s energy level.

He should have been benched weeks ago, Weber said of Leonard, the same player who posted 15 points in the first half against Indiana’s phenomenal freshman 7-footer Cody Zeller. Illinois lost that game, of course, with Leonard scoring only two in the second half.

Leonard knows he has improvements to make, as do his teammates.

“It’s just been little things, little plays that we’re not making,” Leonard said. “We’ve really just got to get into the zone and find ways to win.”

After signing a few autographs, a solemn Leonard said the Illini can turn it around.

“We’ve got a few plays within the game, missing defensive assignments, just not guarding according to scout,” he said. “We’ve got to keep fighting and listening to the coaches, just keep getting better every day.”

Maybe the Illini hit rock bottom Saturday at Nebraska, falling 80-57 thanks to a 36-4 run by the Cornhuskers.

A trip to Ohio State on Tuesday is next.

Leonard is staying focused on the task at hand. When he gets the ball in the post, he’s as capable of setting up teammates as he is burying hook shots or delivering powerful dunks.

But his success has also made it tougher to get the ball in position.

“Normally on pick-and-rolls, I’m used to getting some drop-downs, but now they’ve got two guys there waiting for me. I’ve just got to keep working hard,” Leonard said.

While Weber’s future is out of his hands, Leonard will have the choice to return with a talented Illini cast or head for the riches of the NBA.

Even when he was a 6-2 freshman guard playing junior varsity for the Maroons, Leonard was thinking about how he wanted to get paid to play some day.

“It’s always been my dream to be considered a professional player, or chance to be a professional player,” Leonard said. “Right now, I’m focused on University of Illinois basketball. I have no idea what my decision’s going to be about my future.”

Leonard’s mother Tracie is ailing with serious back issues. His older brother Bailey is in Afghanistan.

“She has a really bad back, my brother’s in Afghanistan for the second time, should be home soon. It’s just hard for her. I just want to take care of her,” Leonard said.

Staying focused on the little things is the plan the big man is sticking to.

Staying out of foul trouble, help-side defense, tenacity on the offensive glass and keeping his cool through adversity are areas he can improve.

“A lot of teams are trying to key on me, taking charges, just trying to get me frustrated. I try to stay away from that, but it’s tough when teams just try to come at you,” Leonard said.

He knows his game could use the further development at the college level. He wants to be a more consistent outside shooter. He’s 1-of-11 from 3-point range on the season.

“It’s not out of my range. I haven’t shot well for the season, but after practice I can sit there and make 35 or 40 out of 50,” Leonard said. “I realize I’ve got to dominate the paint before I do anything like that.”

The giant decision facing him after the season is no bigger than the enormous task of reversing the Illini’s fate, which is heading in the direction of a third season in the past five without a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s going to be a tough decision either way, but we’re going to keep working as a team and I’m going to keep working and getting better,” Leonard said.

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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Winner: Northview pitcher T.J. Decker rejoices as his team records the last out in their semi-final win. The Knights defeated Terre Haute North in the first game Monday at Plainfield.

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SPT052612NvBB decker.jpg

Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Winner: Northview pitcher T.J. Decker rejoices as his team records the last out in their semi-final win. The Knights defeated Terre Haute North in the first game Monday at Plainfield.

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