Going back down to South Carolina, Phenom Hoops was eager to check out again the big-time talent of 2027 6’6 Josh Leonard for Upward Stars 3SSB. A proven talent as a young prospect and now regarded as one of the top prospects in the country, Leonard continues to flourish and solidify just how big and strong of a prospect he truly is.
Rewinding a few years back, Leonard was one who quickly grabbed our attention as a national prospect before he even touched the high school scene. You simply could see that this young man was something special in middle school, and he backed that up time after time at the South Carolina Top 80 over the years. Fast-forward to this past weekend at the Phenom Challenge, one just has to simply sit back and enjoy the moment when watching this young man operate on the court, as he proved how elite he can be.
There is something unique about Leonard’s game when you watch him. There are times when he isn’t flashy but just productive, and then there are times when you simply say “wow” at what he shows. Leonard checks off so many boxes with his 6’6 body, college-ready frame, overall strength, versatility, and his impact on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he looks fully in control and understands how to operate, whether it is using his body to attack downhill and get to the rim, create off the bounce and physically dominant opponents, or get to his spots inside and mid-range. Then you can see that he has continued to put work into his game in expanding out to the perimeter with his scoring, comfortably knocking down threes with fluidity and comfort. Leonard looks comfortable in so many areas on the court, as he continues to excel with his decision-making, playmaking, and scoring impact. But what may have impressed me the most this weekend was not his offense, but his impact on the defensive end. Leonard doesn’t get the attention he deserves with his defensive presence, as he should. Sitting baseline and watching his impact, whether it is walling up defenders, creating havoc with his on-ball defense, altering shots inside and out with his size and athleticism, or simply attacking the defensive glass, Leonard excels as one of the better two-way prospects in the region and I believe there is STILL more potential left in the tank.
All of this sums up why he continues to prove, even with so many early accolades, why he is a Top-10 prospect in the country.
Recruitment Update:
Patrick O’Brien and Phenom Hoops were able to catch up with Leonard at the Phenom Challenge to see how everything has been going early on with his recruitment. It will be expected that many big-time names will be coming his way, and schools are already sending offers his way.
Right now, he holds offers from Cincinnati, South Carolina, Clemson, Wake Forest, Nicholls State, California, UCF, Jacksonville, and Charleston, all of which will continue to be in the mix throughout. But several other schools have been showing interest in his way, including two blue-bloods just down the road. Duke came to a few of his games this past high school season and has shown interest. North Carolina was another, as Leonard mentioned they were by this high school season on several occasions. Louisville and Ohio State are two other programs that have stepped forward early on as well.
We were able to ask him two valuable questions as well. One was if there were any schools he had interest in visiting, as he mentioned California, Cincinnati, and Ohio State were a few of them. Secondly, if he had a dream school growing up, with his answer being Duke.