Mr. Underrated: Leroy Bryant (University of Washington)
Growing up playing multiple sports can have a lot of benefits to the overall development of an athlete. The different type of workouts, to improving the hand eye coordination, to even strength and conditioning, can allow the athlete to pick up on key parts of their game that playing one sport may not be able to do. For Rampage Alum Leroy Bryant (University of Washington) he grew up playing basketball and football, but eventually decided to pursue football over basketball. This decision for him would end up being one of the best decisions he ever made.
I first seen Bryant when he was in 8th grade, as he was at an open gym at the Kroc Center in Suisun, CA. What made me a fan of him was how well he pushed the ball up the court, and how well he defended. After years of trying to convince him to play for us with Team Rampage, Bryant finally decided to play during his sophomore year. He spent the spring and summer playing AAU basketball, and also training for football. Bryant explained the benefits of playing multiple sports.
“My advice to the youth would be to keep their options open when playing multiple sports. Figure out which ones you love the most and work hard in each one of them because you never know which sport is going to open the door for you to reach the next level”.
Bryant stated.
Football opened up a lot of doors for Bryant, but his basketball recruitment nearly opened up more doors. While playing for Team Rampage, Bryant had interest from division 1 & division 2 schools.
“The schools that we’re interested were San Jose state, UC San Diego, San Francisco university, and Sonoma state University”
Bryant added.
Many people see the success Bryant is having, but they don’t see the obstacles he had to go through to get this far. His character is spectacular, and he has allowed his obstacles to fuel his journey. Whether it’s earning a scholarship, or winning a Pac-12 championship, Bryant has been motivated to achieve his goals.
“My mom has been my motivation throughout my journey. Growing up she’s always pushed me to be my best whether it was in the classroom or in sports. She’s the reason I am who I am today and I am thankful for that”.
Bryant stated.
Being able to go from being a high school senior a year ago at Rodriguez High School (Fairfield, CA), to winning a Pac-12 championship with the opportunity to win a National Championship in less than a year, has to be a spectacular feeling. Although Bryant didn’t get much time as a freshman this year, he was able to learn a lot from future pros, and play in front of millions of people across the country.
“The experience at the University Of Washington has been amazing. It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to be on such a high ranked team as a freshman. I’m blessed to be able to sit back and learn from the older guys and see what it takes to be a champion at the collegiate level. It feels great to be a champion, being a pac 12 champion is a feeling I will never forget”.
Bryant added.
This is another example of your dreams can come true with proper preparation, belief, and consistency. I remember when the transition from basketball to football took place for him. We would be on the road on our way to a basketball tournament and schools would call him to offer him in football. One of the best memories was being able to get him to play for us in Phoenix, Arizona for the last time before he would focus on football fully. Two division 1 athletes with Leroy Bryant (University of Washington) and Will Heimbrodt (Seattle U) playing together and playing really well. We hope that he is able to make it and win the National Championship!
