1. Network Blogs

    1. Mike Barrett's Blog
    2. caseyholdahl's Blog
    3. Looking Up
    4. BlogShakaLaka
    5. Rice.
    6. make it better
    7. Tone's Blog
    8. DHawes22's Blog
    9. The BlazerDancer Blog

  2. Iama Access

    1. News
    2. Message Boards
    3. Blazer Dancers
    4. Photos
Return to blog listing -> Meyers Leonard -- Did You Know?
Kassandra

Feb 26

Meyers Leonard -- Did You Know?

By Kassandra Posted in: Blazers
   
Winning a championship is that of what any amateur and professional athlete dreams. It is the goal. It is the objective. It is the pinnacle. 

Obviously, for players in the NBA, winning a championship is paramount for their reasons to play the game at the highest level. Teams build for it. They trade for it. They draft for it. Players hone their skills in high school and college in an attempt to put themselves in the right place to land on an NBA team and strive for that elusive championship. Sometimes, players will find such championship success prior to reaching the NBA.

But ... did you know?

It was just three years ago that the Blazers own Meyers Leonard tasted that kind of success.

Meyers was a vital piece of his high school's title run as a senior during the 2009-10 season. Robinson topped Peoria Manual, 76-68 in overtime, in the Illinois class 2A championship game.

His biggest highlight from the game might just have come at the end of the first half when he drained a buzzer beater from 70 feet away.

Meyers' (32) teammates celebrate following his 70-foot buzzer beater.

He scored 16 points, hauled in 15 rebounds and swatted away six shots to help pace Robinson to the championship. Anyone who follows basketball at any level knows those are some impressive numbers. 

Meyers began his high school as a guard, but grew six inches between his freshman and sophomore years, eventually reaching his listed seven foot as a high school senior.

Now, just three short years later, he finds himself as a building block on a young team which, though still under construction, is building toward an NBA championship. Albeit at a lower level, at least one Blazer has already felt that championship feeling.

Like myself, Meyers turns 21 today (February 27).

Now, you know.

~ KMM

Check out  more on Meyers and Robinson's championship, click here

"-- Did You Know" will appear in this blog on a semi-regular basis throughout the sesason, centering on Blazers players and coaches. In Kassandra's Words, features periodic blogs throughout the year. Comments and questions are welcome and encouraged. Seasons begin and end; players come and go; our Blazers are forever. Please follow on twitter: @PDXKass
      

9 Comments

  1. Hi Kassandra, I knew that Leonard was a guard and grew rapidly, that is part of his problem being a Center; adapting to a new body takes time. I grew early in life and was always the tallest and the biggest. then by the time I was a senior I was almost the smallest. I developed a somewhat bully attitude because everybody feared me until everybody out grew me,
    I knew Leonard was just turning 21, bu did not know he was your age.exactly, and I can't believe you will be 21 already. Wow time does fly.

    by Hg on 2/27/2013 8:30 AM

  2. Wasn't Bill Walton's high school background similar?

    by Ancientone on 2/27/2013 12:04 PM

  3. @Hg: we had been told by Olshey all summer that Meyers' learning curve would take longer than Damian's. big men always do take a little longer. i think he's learning and getting better. i am 21 now! watch out world!

    @Ancientone: i'm not sure if Walton won a high school championship, but he certainly could have. i remember hearing he won it in college.

    by Kassandra on 2/27/2013 5:32 PM

  4. Kass; did you know that there is a positive probability; that is a little bit more than 50 %; that out of **only** 23 people, at least two of them were born the same day ?

    Proof: The probability that nobody is born; let´s say today, or any day but the same, in a group where you´re with 22 more people is P = 364/365*363/365*...*343/365 = 364!/(342!*365^22) = 49.27 %. (Use the scinetific Windows calculator). And so the probability that at least 2 people (2 or more people) in a group of 23 are born the same day is the contrary of P; that is Q=1-P = 50,73 %. Did you believe ceiling(365/2) = 183 people were necessary for a +50% probability ?

    by Soopadeajo Sopadeajo on 2/27/2013 11:52 PM

  5. The general straightforward easy formula -but with harsh calculations- is : Probability of at least two people being born the same day and month among n people : P = 1 - (364!/(365-n)!*365^(n-1)).
    Now if you want to check it, try find the birthday data of all the players of NBA teams two by two. For example Denver and Portland. There are 26 players (2*13). With n=26 we get P = 59.82 %. You should get; taking all the NBA basketball teams 2 by 2; that around 60% of the times at least 2 of the players of both teams are born the same day and the same month. Not the same year though; but this could also happen.

    by Soopadeajo Sopadeajo on 2/28/2013 12:14 AM

  6. Actually I was refering to starting off as a gaurd and out growing the position. Walton attributed some of his passing skills to it.

    by Ancientone on 2/28/2013 11:46 AM

  7. That is what I was referring to also, and I hope Leonard can take advantage of that also, That is partly why Batum is getting better because of the guard play in France.

    I think the fact that Leonard is used to running the floor, passing, and even catching the ball is his strong points, his weak point as Ancientone has pointed out is learning to hold his own down low, and not get off to the side or under the basket when playing D, and that may be the down side of going from guard to Center He guards like a guard whether then like a Center and that is what. Olsey was referring to teach him to stay put whether the roaming all over the floor like a guard, I think I read that. He can shoot outside or inside and is learning to do the pick and roll or Pick and Pop pretty well

    Did you know that I have all the confidence in the world in Leonard and greatness comes with time and learning from adversities as IMO that is the way you grow. At any rate with some of his mistakes, it won't be long until he is great.

    by Hg on 2/28/2013 1:57 PM

  8. @Soop: i'm aware of the liklieness of a small group of people in the same room with the same birthday. don't need more numbers, but thanks i guess.

    @Ancientone: i never knew Walton was a guard before a center (and maybe a forward in between?). it makes sense that Meyers learned some of his skills from playing multiple positions.

    @Hg: i think Meyers will get much better at the things on which he needs to work. he's got the fundementals and i only see him getting better. i thought he played really well down low last night. perhaps he was inspired from it being his birthday. i'd like him to string a few games together with the efficiency he had last night.

    by Kassandra on 2/28/2013 7:07 PM

  9. He also has the big man coach in his ear almost constantly.

    by Hg on 2/28/2013 10:09 PM
  1. Leave a comment

PLEASE NOTE:
The views expressed on the Trail Blazers Blogger Network represent those of the individual authors and do not represent the views of the Trail Blazers organization, the NBA, or any other NBA team.

Blog Contributors

Most Commented

The most commented posts in the past month

Blog Archives