BURN THE HORSE
There were a lot of folks who were disappointed last season
when Gus Leeper suffered an injury and had to redshirt. Us included. After all, a lot was
expected of the sophomore despite some pretty puny statistics.
A lot more will be expected this year as he repeats his
sophomore year of eligibility with the Trojans.
Leeper a 6-10 forward from Austin, Texas, came on strong in
the final month of the 2010-2011 season and is expected to be a vital
contributor now that he’s healthy again.
The Leeper most people remember is the one who averaged 6
points and 3.5 rebounds over the past six games of the season. The one we tend
to forget is the Leeper who had scored only 14 points in the 23 games prior to
that.
After scoring 4 points (giving him 10 for the season) against
Western Kentucky on Feb. 17, 2011, Leeper was thrown into the starting lineup
on Feb. 19 against Middle Tennessee. The move came largely because Courtney
Jackson was injured. Jackson would play only 3 more minutes the rest of the
season. Leeper had 4 points and 5 rebounds that night and made an impression.
And when he wowed the Jack Stephens Center crowd with 11
points and 6 rebounds in a March 1 game vs. North Texas, he earned a spot in
the starting lineup for the rest of the season.
But Leeper still didn’t score much until the Sun Belt
Championship game. He had 10 points in 27 minutes that night as he helped UALR
to the Sun Belt Tournament. And even though he only had 4 points and 5 rebounds
in the NCAA Tournament game against UNC-Asheville, his foul-out was one of the
key points in that contest.
The facts are that Leeper averaged only 1.7 points and 1.7
rebounds during his freshman season. The reality is that Leeper kepth working hard all season and eventually got a chance to shine on a big stage. And now with a
strength-building redshirt year he has the potential to have a Sun Belt
Tournament type impact during his sophomore year.
