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Darius Leonard, a native of Raleigh, N.C., started his college basketball career at Kent State in 2010. The 6-foot-9, 225 pound forward played in 30 games for the Golden Flashes, but ultimately decided to transfer to Campbell. At Kent State, he averaged just under two points and two rebounds per game. The team went on to win the Mid-American conference regular season title.
After sitting out the 2011-12 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Leonard emerged as a significant role player in his junior year. He logged 18.5 minutes per game and started in 20 contests throughout the season. In his final season with the Fighting Camels, Leonard started in 30 of 32 possible games while posting averages of 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
In addition to his solid scoring and rebounding, Leonard proved that he could also serve as a reliable catch and shoot player. He hit an average of over one 3-pointer per game and connected on 38-percent of his attempts. This is especially impressive given that Leonard did not attempt a single outside shot the previous year. Overall, he shot just over 50-percent from the floor.
After receiving his degree from Campbell, Leonard decided to enter the Liberal Studies graduate program at Wake Forest, where he will have one year of eligibility remaining. This makes him the most senior player on the current squad. Senior Daniel Green has logged little playing time in his playing career due to knee injuries.
Leonard chose Wake over Virginia Tech, Miami, Drexel and Marquette. He will immediately fill holes left by Coron Williams and Adala Moto. He combines the 3-point shooting of Williams with the size and athleticism of Moto. While he may not be quite as skilled as those players in their respective areas, he should prove to be a versatile asset for Danny Manning's team.
During arguably his best performance last year, Leonard recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and three assists against VMI on Jan 18.
Continue to check back with Blogger So Dear the rest of this week and next for a preview on every player on the 2014-15 team. Next up is Daniel Green.