Kyle Leufroy
Photo by: Hannahally Photography

Leufroy Loves Basketball, and Life

2/22/2019 11:33:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Student Athlete, Features

Lehigh men's basketball seniors Kyle Leufroy and Lance Tejada will be honored before Sunday's 12 p.m. Senior Day game vs. Holy Cross in Stabler Arena. It's a busy day as legend CJ McCollum will also be in attendance for a halftime ceremony honoring his number. To purchase tickets, please click here.
 
Read on for a special feature about Leufroy's impact and what he's brought to the Brown and White on and off the course.
 
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
 
Talk to Kyle Leufroy, even if just briefly, and his infectious personality comes to the surface.
 
"I have always been an outgoing person," said Leufroy. "For the most part, I don't necessarily care what others have to say. You can't expect other people to enjoy your company if you can't even enjoy your own. Whether I'm by myself or with other people, I try to enjoy life, just live one day at a time and not take anything for granted."
 
Taking one day at a time has been a focus of Leufroy and the Mountain Hawks in 2018-19 and so far, it is certainly working, with Lehigh near the top of the Patriot League standings contending for a championship. All this comes one year after Leufroy's toughest season in the Brown and White, leading to a new approach.
 
Keep in mind, "toughest season" is relative; he still produced for the Mountain Hawks (averaging 10.0 points per game, but shot 36.4 percent from the field, down from his 11.4 scoring average on 46.4 percent shooting as a sophomore).
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"This year, I still love the game and I'm going to give it everything I have, but life is so much bigger than basketball," said Leufroy. "For as much as basketball means to me, I try to not let it define me."
 
Leufroy knows, and appreciates, how much the sport has meant (and continues to mean). Growing up, he began playing at a young age, with his father as his first coach.
 
"I actually grew up a soccer kid. I also tried baseball, but didn't make it past tee-ball," said Leufroy. "Around the age of 10 is when I really started getting serious with basketball. I started travel ball around 11 or 12 and from there, I fell in love more and more."
 
Flash forward to when Leufroy had to decide his college destination. Although he's from California, he went out of his way to explore schools out East.
 
"My sister went to Howard University in Washington, D.C. and I have some family here on the East coast," said Leufroy. "I am open to new things. When everything is said and done and it's time to settle down, Southern California – Pasadena or Los Angeles – is where I see myself. But because of that, I feel like now is the time to see different places. If you could go home in 30 or 45 minutes on the weekends, it defeats the college experience and purpose."
 
Leufroy has the right mindset for his college experience, using it as an opportunity to grow. He knows he will face adversity in life, but it's about how he responds. Respond is exactly what he has done after his junior year struggles.
 
"Because the game is important to Kyle, being one of the players with the most returning experience last year, he really felt like he had to shoulder a lot of the burden," said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. "This year, because of greater maturity and even better perspective, I believe he has an understanding that he doesn't have to do it by himself. A byproduct is developing trust in his teammates and also, to some degree, trust in himself that he can do simple things and do them really well."
 
"This year has been about getting back to trusting my ability and trusting the work I put in," said Leufroy. "I would lose a game last year and if I felt like I played badly, it could ruin my next few days. I was talking to other people who really care about me and I might bring that frustration out on them."
 
Overall, Leufroy's frustration on the court has been kept to a minimum for the top-20 scorer in program history. As a freshman, Leufroy was starting by mid-season for a team that won 11 straight games in February and March to reach the Patriot League Championship Game. He started as a sophomore, helping the Mountain Hawks back to the title game. Leufroy had an up-and-down junior season, but now as a senior, he is a second-year captain and one of many highlights was eclipsing 1,000 career points in the season opener at Monmouth.
 
Along with his play, Leufroy has taken a significant leadership role.
 
And remember his infectious personality? That helps the entire team as well.
 
"I appreciate the guys just following my influence and allowing me to lead them," he said. "How much the guys look up to me honestly means a lot, but it also feels good because I believe it's a genuine love and care, which I try to reciprocate.
 
"One thing I've been trying to do differently this year is getting on guys," Leufroy continued. "At the end of the day, true family and brothers sometimes fight… they argue. But at the end of the day, they care and love each other and want what's best for them."
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Because he wants what's best for his brothers, Leufroy knows he must take on a different role now than his role as a freshman, sophomore or even junior.
 
"I realize I can't be the same player or same person for this team that I was sophomore year, with me being the older guy in a leadership position," said Leufroy. "But at the same time, I still try to be myself – that fun, energetic and loving person."
 
"Kyle is one-of-a kind," said senior Lance Tejada. "In my years playing basketball and being around people, you don't really meet too many people like Kyle – very likable and very personable. In a lot of ways, I want to become more like him. I look up to him in that aspect of life. You instantly become comfortable around a guy like Kyle."
 
Someone like Leufroy helped Tejada immensely in transitioning to Lehigh after transferring from East Carolina. Tejada and all of Leufroy's teammates love Kyle like a brother, with everyone brought together from around the country by one common theme, the love of basketball. That love won't leave Leufroy anytime soon, as he hopes his career extends beyond his time in the Brown and White.
 
"I would like to go overseas and play basketball for as long as possible, or at least start off overseas and see how it goes," he said. "Obviously, if it gets to a point where it's not worth it in terms of how much I'm putting a toll on my body, then it might be time to walk away.
 
"But I'm not at that point yet."
 
What is it about basketball that makes Leufroy wanting more?
 
"Just seeing the ball go through the basket and when your team is winning, that camaraderie is indescribable," he said. "The emotion, the passion, I love the feeling and thrill of making a shot in a close game with the crowd going crazy. That big stage is something I have always fallen in love with."
 
Leufroy embraces the everyday grind as well. Gameday is glamorous, but championships are won when no one is watching.
 
"Kyle pushes the people around him to work harder, just watching how hard he works," said Tejada. "Sometimes, I have to tell him to relax because he works so hard. You need to give your body time to recover."
 
In between the grind of a college basketball season, Leufroy also values the intangible benefits from the sport – including the relationships developed.
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"Kyle has incredible energy and is so personable," said Reed. "He is truly a joy to be around. Even if it's a stranger, he will find a way to connect with them at a personal level. It has translated into deeper relationships with our team because he has a unique ability to connect with others, and when you're trying to build team unity while going through the duration of a full season, that's a wonderful characteristic."
 
"Truthfully, some of my closest friends and brothers have been made through the sport," said Leufroy. "Basketball has opened up a lot to me. Between the places I've been able to travel, the people I've been able to meet, the experiences I've been able to have and the knowledge I've been able to gain, the sport has offered so much."
 
Basketball has led Leufroy to a prestigious institution in Lehigh where he has competed with a band of brothers for something bigger than himself.
 
"I wouldn't be in this position, being able to graduate from this fine institution, without basketball," he said. "I have grown tremendously over these past four years. I'm so grateful for life and the experiences I've gone through. With this being my last year of college, I'll be ready to hit the real world.
 
"I can thank basketball for that and I can thank school for that. My experience at Lehigh has taught me how to become a man."

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