I’ve been ridiculously impressed with Leonardo so far this season. The 6-foot guard has shot the leather off the basketball and has done so with tons of range and in lots of off-the-dribble and movement situations, showcasing an advanced scoring and shooting arsenal. What’s surprising, though, is that he doesn’t give up much on the defensive end, despite his lack of size and overwhelming strength—Leonardo slides his feet extremely well and is super active and tough on the ball, so he makes it work despite most players thinking he’s mismatch. He should get some high level D3 looks, and he could even get some scholarship looks if he grows any more.

Leonardo, a guard out of Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, established himself as a crafty playmaker that can really shoot the basketball. The 6’0″ guard plays with creativity with the ball in his hands, has some craftiness as a finisher around the rim, and knocks down jumpers in bunches from behind the arc. He has in the gym range as a shooter and is able to get his shot off at any time in catch and shoot situations. Defensively, he’s a solid point of attack defender that knows how to play angles and is capable of creating steals off of deflections.

Leonardo had a big-time weekend for Team Northeast UA Rise and is going to see his D3 recruitment pick up quite a bit as a result. The 6-foot guard is skinny and relatively undersized for his position, but he’s tough and confident with the ball in his hands and is able to handle pressure. He was one of the best shooter’s in the gym this weekend and can make shots off the move or with the ball, and he makes great decisions in the paint once the defense collapses on him. Added size and strength would be big for Leonardo, but it’ll probably come.

You would probably look at Leonardo and think he’s too small and skinny to compete against a Cushing team with multiple scholarship players, many of which are older than him. But the 6-foot guard more than held his own. He made multiple threes on the move and also impressed me with his ability to attack the lane and make plays near the rim. Once Leonardo puts on some more strength and weight, he’s going to be a really excellent player. Right now, though, he already has the skill and IQ necessary to be effective at this level. Very bright future ahead.

Leonardo shot the cover off the basketball and if his feet were set there was a high chance he was converting from deep. He also made the most of his chances at the foul line. He grabbed rebounds and was active on the boards. Leonardo also flashed as play-maker for his teammates with his passing.