The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
North’s Leo picks CSU
Destiny Leo has a whole other year to wow college coaches with her prowess on the basketball court. The 5-foot-10 junior from North has found all she was looking for just a stone’s throw from home. So as Leo said, “Why wait?”
Leo announced late March 21 she has verbally committed to Cleveland State. She will sign her letter of intent in the fall before the start of her senior season with the Rangers.
“Blessed and extremely excited to say I am committing to Cleveland State University!!! #GOVIKES” Leo wrote in her Twitter announcement from @DestinyLeo23_.
Leo chose Cleveland State’s offer for a full scholarship over those from Detroit Mercy, Youngstown State, Gannon and others who inquired of her services.
“It’s awesome. I’m pretty pumped,” said Leo, a firstteam Division I All-Ohioan. “I built a really good relationship with the staff there. I loved it was close to my home. Cleveland is my home. I just want to be part of something big there.
“Cleveland State was a
good fit for me, so why wait any longer? I felt it was the perfect place for me.”
Leo visited Cleveland State a few months ago, she said, and that’s when firstyear coach Chris Kielsmeier presented the scholarship offer.
Deep down, Leo knew that’s where she wanted to go. So finally March 21, she pulled the trigger.
“I’m very happy for Destiny and extremely proud of the person, student and player that she’s become,” North coach Paul Force said. “She has earned this opportunity, and I know she’s excited to become a Viking. She wants to help
Coach Kielsmeier and his staff get that program back to where they want to be.”
Leo is coming off a junior campaign in which she averaged 27.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in leading North to a 25-2 record. She shot 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point arc and 84 percent from the free-throw line.
She led North to its first regional appearance since 1999 and to the regional championship game for the first time since 1994.
For her efforts, Leo was named The News-Herald’s girls basketball player of
the year March 19.
She said she will be playing shooting guard for the Vikings, a position at which she is comfortable both shooting and passing the ball.
“They play fast,” Leo said of Cleveland State’s style. “It’s nice to score, but if someone else has a better shot, I’m going to try and get the ball to them. I think it’s important getting everyone the best shot.”
Leo is etching her name in North lore. With one season remaining in the black and orange, she is the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,555 points, trailing only Samantha Pirosko’s 1,611 points.
North is 65-11 since Leo hit the varsity lineup from Day 1 as a freshman. In 76 varsity games, she is averaging 20.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line.
“We aren’t pushing her out the door any time soon,” Force said. “She’s got room for growth, and our staff is going to embrace the opportunity to help her get the most out of her high school experience.
“She has been a lot of things to a lot of people over the years, but one thing she has never been is satisfied.
There is still more out there for her as a player, and she knows that. Hopefully this is her best offseason yet and she comes into her senior year ready to build on the legacy that she has created and relationships that she’s already established.”
While Leo granted playing college basketball has been a dream since she was 6, she is looking more forward to her senior season than anything.
“I think we can be everything we were this year and more,” she said. “We’re going to get after it this offseason and work hard for everything we can get next season.”