Recruiting Report: Cameron Van Leer (2018)
Class of 2018 point guard Cameron Van Leer of Pacific High did not have to go far in order to learn how to lead a basketball team. All he had to do was watch his older brother, Cullen Van Leer,…
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Continue ReadingClass of 2018 point guard Cameron Van Leer of Pacific High did not have to go far in order to learn how to lead a basketball team.
All he had to do was watch his older brother, Cullen Van Leer, a former star at Pacific who just completed his freshman season at the University of Missouri. Cameron spent his freshman year playing alongside Cullen in 2015. As a sophomore, he became the Indians’ marquee player, a role which he will have for the next two seasons.
“With the loss of Cullen, I knew I was going to have to be the go-to guy,” Van Leer said. “Cullen taught me lots of things. He taught me how to approach each and every day of practice, as well as games. Mainly, he taught me how to be a leader on the court and how not to get too high or too low.”
Cameron learned his lessons well. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.8 steals. He also shot 45 percent from 3-point range in leading Pacific to an 18-10 record and a conference championship.
“My strongest assets as a player are my ability to get all of my teammates involved and getting them involved in the spots they are most comfortable,” Van Leer said. “I also rely on my touch around the rim and the 3-point line.”
Van Leer is also starting to attract his share of interest from Division I programs. Schools such as Navy, Davidson, Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Rice, Missouri State and Arizona State have expressed interest.
One of Van Leer’s biggest attributes is his size. He is a 6’4″ point guard. That enables him to impact the game in many different ways. He has grown two inches since his freshman year and he still may be growing.
“My size at the point guard position is a huge advantage for me on both sides of the floor,” Van Leer said. “My ability to guard multiple positions and shoot over smaller defenders is a huge advantage.”
Van Leer has been playing with the Gateway Basketball Club this summer in the Adidas Uprising Gauntlet Series.
“So far, this summer with Gateway, it’s been a surreal experience being able to play in front of a variety of college coaches,” he said. “Gateway is a great club and I plan to stick with them throughout my high school career.”