Florida adds JUCO forward transfer
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After Louisiana Tech granted Justin Leon's release a few weeks after he signed with the school when Michael White and his staff were there, the JUCO forward out of Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill., waited about three to four days until the new Gators basketball coach reached out to him.
Leon also received interest from Arkansas, Indiana and Kansas State, but on Monday night he announced his commitment to Florida via Twitter and became the first new commit of the White era in Gainesville.
From his time interacting with the coaching staff in Ruston, La., Leon formed tight relationships with White and assistants Dusty May, Jordan Mincy and Darris Nichols - especially May, who Leon says has recruited him hard during his time playing in the JUCO ranks.
"They (Louisiana Tech) got a new coach, so I wasn't really comfortable just really agreeing to play under a coach I don't know, and he (Eric Konkol) doesn't really know me. So I got my release," Leon told Inside the Gators. "Then I got a call from Coach May and he was like, 'Hey Justin, we've got more scholarships left. We still want you just like we did when we were at La Tech.' With me already having a built relationship with all four of the staff members, I just kind of felt like this was happening for a reason.
"It's kind of hard to say no when I've got a built-in relationship with all four of those guys. They still have the interest level when I was at La Tech. I couldn't really turn that down."
With the addition of the 6-foot-8, 205-pound Leon, who will be immediately eligible and has two years of eligibility left, UF adds more depth at forward and puts itself at 12 scholarships - one below the NCAA limit. He joins a frontcourt that includes Dorian Finney-Smith, Devin Robinson, John Egbunu, Alex Murphy, DeVon Walker, walk-on Schuyler Rimmer and 2015 signees Keith Stone and Kevarrius Hayes. UF also returns guards Kasey Hill, Chris Chiozza, Brandone Francis and adds 2015 signee KeVaughn Allen, who recently decided to stick with Florida and White.
At Shawnee as a sophomore, Leon averaged 21.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. He was one of only four players in Division I NJCAA to rank in the top 20 in both points in rebounds, scoring in double figures in all 30 games and notching 20-plus points in 20 of those contests.
In Louisiana Tech's press release when Leon originally signed with the Bulldogs, White noted Leon's athleticism, versatility, size and toughness as well as his intensity scoring, rebounding and defending as reasons why he was interested in him.
"I know he would like to use me to be able play multiple positions," Leon said of White. "I know he would like for me to guard some small guards and at the same time guard some bigger guys, because I have versatility, I have a running motor. He would like to use me - I'm a great rebounder and then I can score the ball well - so basically he can put me on the floor kind of like that anchor guy, that guy who can do a lot of things on the court."
White plans to implement a fast-paced style of basketball in Gainesville that will give his players a lot of freedom when running the floor and have them aiming to force turnovers in the press. Leon said he played a similar style of ball at Shawnee.
"I think I fit perfectly, because I know in my junior college, the up-and-down pace, the pressure, that's the same type of style we played down here," Leon said. "I'm already adjusted to it, so it's not like I'm going into a program with a different style of play I'm going to have to adjust to. I'm already used to it, so I think I played with it without a problem."
When he arrives in Gainesville, the 6-foot-8, 205-pound Leon will aim to gain more weight and get stronger, as well as improve his ball-handling - which he says will be one of his top focuses.
"Even though I'm working on my handling now and getting it better, at the same time I they'll be surprised that me being my height, I can handle the ball under pressure and attack people off the bounce and I can get a rebound and push and bring the ball down with me being my height," Leon said.
Leon plans to enroll at UF the upcoming fall semester after he completes his credit hours in summer courses at Shawnee Community College. He hasn't visited UF's campus yet, but if possible he would love to do so before he officially enrolls.
For the Conway, Ark., native, the opportunity to play at UF for his final two seasons of college basketball is an exciting endeavor.
"I'm a warm weather type of guy," Leon said. "I've ever been to any part of Florida, so it'll be new to me. I like the warm weather, and it'll be nice down there."