Battle in Bullhead: Player Spotlight – Jacob Leslie (2020)

<p>The Battle in Bullhead, which takes place this Sunday from 10 AM to 2 PM at Mohave High School for players in grades 9-12, has been going for the past 3 years. In that time, a number of prospects who have attended the event have ended up playing after high school.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="928565" first="Jacob" last="Leslie"]</strong>, a 6’5 PF from MALC, has the potential to be yet another prospect on that list. Leslie, who has participated in the event in the past, has always stood out.</p> <p>He has good length and strength. Further, he competes for 50/50 balls and gets after it on the glass. Last year, one of the biggest improvements to his game was his ability to shoot the basketball from deep.</p> <p>Needless to say, Leslie is hoping to put on another strong performance this upcoming season as well as at the Battle in Bullhead. At this point, Leslie mentioned that he has received interest from "Benedictine (Mesa), Crown College (Minnesota), Penn State Beaver, Colorado Christian, and Luther College".</p> <p>As far as what Jacob is looking for in a school, he noted that he wants to find a place with a good music program for him to minor in. Further, he noted that location is not an issue.</p> <p>While education is at the top of the list, the opportunity to play college basketball will also be a determining factor. He noted, "[The opportunity to] Play college hoops is really the whole reason that I work as hard as I do."</p> <p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-ADzl1k2spk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>While Leslie still has plenty to improve, he believes that he brings multiple intangibles to the table that would aid a next level suitor. He stated, "I think I offer some fire on the defensive end. I rarely take plays off, and I always give 100%." Moreover, on the offensive side, he noted that he has a consistent shot and always competes on the offensive glass.</p> <p>Leslie has aided himself in having opportunities due to his GPA, a 3.5. His toughness and willingness to do things that many players won’t do make him an intriguing prospect. It will be intriguing to note how he has improved from last year at this event as we saw tremendous growth from him last year.</p> <p>Also worth noting, MALC participates in 1A, where Leslie earned the defensive player of the year. Further, in his region, 1A West, he earned the player of the year.</p> <p>Leslie will look to build on the success that he had last season. This year, he has hopes of taking his team further in the state tournament as well as showing that he has the ability to play at the collegiate level.</p>