St. Mike’s Gets a Good One

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Monday, January 26th, 2009

St. Mike’s Gets a Good One

Earlier this year the New England Recruiting Report published Luis Leao’s story (part I & part II).  It told of his long journey from Brazil to the Winchendon School, of his transition from a student who couldn’t speak English to the top ranked student in his class, of a traumatic health scare during his junior season, and how through it all he has been a fantastic leader for the Winchendon basketball team. 

Now, that story has another chapter as Leao has decided that he will accept a full athletic scholarship offer from St. Michael’s College. 

The Purple Knights have been aggressively recruiting Leao since last summer when assistant coach Ari Shapiro saw him at an exposure camp.  But St. Mike’s knew they were fighting an uphill battle as the Winchendon forward was getting a variety of recruiting interest from both the division I and the division II level. 

“Luis felt most comfortable with what they [St. Mike’s] had to offer,” said Winchendon head coach Mike Byrnes.  “Their coaching staff gave him a concrete commitment very early and they never wavered.” 

But the decision also went beyond the basketball court.  Leao wants to study pre-med in college in hopes of, one day, both giving back to his community and eventually being able to move his family here from Brazil.  It wasn’t until he visited St. Michael’s campus and met with their pre-med faculty that he felt comfortable making his decision. 

“I went there and visited the campus, talked to the coaching staff, and teachers,” Leao explained.  “I liked the basketball program and the pre-med program.  I talked to the pre-med people and felt comfortable there and I really appreciated the coaching staff’s loyalty throughout the entire recruiting process.”

It was earlier this week when Leao finally made up his mind and called St. Michael’s head coach Tom O’Shea to tell him of his decision. 

“After Luis gave Coach O’Shea the news, I got on the phone and the biggest thing I told Coach O’Shea is that in this business you can find guys with talent, you can find guys who make shots, you can recruit all of those things.  But what you can’t recruit is the loyalty and the leadership that Luis brings to the table.  That’s an identity that rubs off on the rest of the team and the rest of campus.  That’s what Luis brought to us at Winchendon and that’s what he’ll bring to them.  When he wears your colors he gives you absolutely everything he has.” 

Byrnes’ affection for his captain is easy to see.  For a coach who emphasizes intangibles like hard-work, discipline, and toughness above all else, Leao is a dream to have on your team.

But that affection is clearly mutual as the Winchendon captain was quick to express his gratitude to both his coach and the entire campus community. 

“Winchendon is my home here,” said Leao.  “The coaching staff…they helped me a lot, the school helped me a lot.  I’m very thankful for that.  One day I hope to come back and help them like they’ve helped me.” 

Ultimately, the latest chapter of Luis Leao’s story tells of how he made his mark on the Winchendon School.  You can bet the next will be about how he was able to do the same thing at St. Michael’s College.