Leo Ricketts, a 6-foot senior at De La Salle (DLS), has worked to hone his point guard package of skills, understands but better yet lives the critical components involved in the art of leadership, is both intellectually and emotionally intelligent and can shoot and pass with the best. He is what any coach desires in meshing with teammates via smarts and humility.
Genetically, Ricketts should be found living life on a soccer pitch. Both his parents excelled at the sport and his mother even received an offer to turn professional. Besides basketball, as well as track (the jumping events), baseball and football, he played the sport, but veered away from it when he entered high school because it lost his attention. Soccer's loss became basketball's gain because the latter "is action-packed."
Asked to detail what he does best in the hoops realm, Ricketts offered "my shooting ability off the dribble and the catch. I'm more athletic than advertised so I'm a very good penetrator, good at making reads and at the rim. Opponents respect me as a scorer but I take care of the ball and I'm an underrated passer. I have a 2.5/1 assist-to-turnover ratio." He wasn't sure if the following qualified as a skill (it does). "I play hard and compete hard."
Equally as important, he fully gets 'it' in leading a team. "Leaders have to be vocal—you can't be quiet." But he also used a phrase—“silent power”—as a critical ingredient in leading by example. "When you're working hard and playing hard, it trickles down to those surrounding you." A De La Salle captain, Ricketts also went in a third direction surrounding the subject. "It's hard to say leader. I don't want to appear selfish or make it seem like I'm above any of my teammates. We're peers. I have to make sure I have a great relationship with them so that they will understand I'm not talking down to them. It's not criticism but all about doing what will help us succeed as a team."
Ricketts cited two situations as his best basketball moments. "The first game this season when we beat Centennial (a power program in southern California) 62-51." He scored 21 points and earned Player of the Game honors. His second choice being "our last home game this season against Branson. They're a great team and all personal goals were out of the way. We were competing with guys you love to win with as a team." 25-6 De La Salle grabbed a 62-54 victory against a program that finished 23-8.
As for important hoops influences, Ricketts appeared profoundly impacted with the effect of his initial selection. "For sure, the DLS (basketball) alumni who come back each summer to work camps and help out current players and kids. They had a dramatic impact on me as mentors when I was growing up."
So much so that in answering where he sees himself 15-20 years from now, he said, "I don't know what career I'll be in but I want to be serving other people like I've been served. I want it to be bigger than myself, whether it's basketball related or not."
Ricketts also lauded his parents as influential due to being "very good mentors. They were hands off in letting us (he and his brothers including one is is now polevaulting for Cornell) choose our sports but really helped with the mental aspects like self talk and how to carry yourself."
A four time annual scholar athlete award winner at De La Salle, Ricketts isn't sure what he will major in at the next level. "I'm interested in psychology and special effects and animation in movies.
Regarding recruiting, Ricketts is wide open geographically. "I don't care where I end up. We have a lot of family in Oregon and I like the rain. My brother is in college in New York."
Any college coach will be getting the package of Ricketts the player and person. Good player and good person.
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