The Dunking Dutchman: Leons ready to make his presence felt

There’s something about Bradley men’s basketball and recruiting international players. 

Making up almost 40% of the 2021-22 season’s roster, these athletes are anticipated to be a key part of this Braves team, with three of them (Ville Tahvanainen, Rienk Mast and Ja’Shon Henry) averaging in the top six in minutes last year. Mast, a sophomore forward hailing from the Netherlands, was even named to the MVC All-Freshman team last year.

Now, there’s a new Dutchman in town, and his name is Malevy Leons.

Leons, a junior college transfer from Mineral Area College, averaged 18.7 points per game and 9.5 rebounds while shooting 56.4% from the field last year to lead his team to a perfect 20-0 regular season and claim the Region and District Championships. Mineral Area also won their first ever NJCAA tournament game and Leons was named to the All-Tournament Team after their Elite Eight run.

Leons’ stellar season at Mineral Area earned him the NABC Two-Year College Player of the Year, the highest honor one can achieve from junior college. He also nabbed first team All-American honors and the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. Through two years, he led the Cardinals to a 54-3 record, their most wins in any two-year span in program history.

Hailing from IJmuiden, Netherlands, a small port city in North Holland, Leons learned basketball from his mother Monique, who used to play as well. She would take Leons to practices once he was old enough and the rest was history.

“I tried a lot of different sports, but basketball was the one I fell in love with,” Leons said.

Now, he comes to Bradley fresh off the best season of his career. Despite offers from Missouri, Marquette and Wichita State, among others, he landed on the quaint university in Peoria.

“I just had the best feeling with [Bradley],” Leons said. “It felt like a family over here and a place where I would really grow.”

Mast also played a factor in Leons’ choice. Even though their hometowns are over two hours away, the two competed against each other in the Dutch Basketball League. According to Leons, seeing a familiar face has made the transition to the U.S. a lot easier.

“It’s always easier to talk to someone who knows where you came from and has the same perspective as you,” Leons said. 

Sporting a wingspan of nearly 7 feet, Leons gives lots of versatility for head coach Brian Wardle on both sides of the ball, which was evident when he snatched three steals in the Red-White Scrimmage on Oct. 13. 

“He’s a great teammate and he’s learning the defensive system,” Wardle said. “He can guard multiple positions, [and] he can do a lot offensively for us, so I’m excited to see how he fills in with all these guys on game nights.”

Despite all his success, Leons admits he has a lot to work on before fully transitioning into D-I play.

“[I’ve] got some improvements to make to be ready to play at this level,” Leons said. “But that makes it interesting and I wanna play against the best.”

Leons and the rest of the men’s basketball team will kick off regular season action on Nov. 9 against South Dakota State.