Leary's Oklahoma opportunity knocks

On College Hoops

By jason vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, May 29, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

L.E. Baskow / Portland Tribune

Omar Leary dribbles around the defense of Jaalam Roberson during a practice at Jefferson High School. The former Lincoln High star has finished junior college and will begin playing in the fall at the University of Oklahoma.

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Portland’s Omar Leary starred on the high school and junior college level. Making the jump to Division I basketball will be another thing, especially when Leary could be the starting point guard for Oklahoma of the Big 12 Conference.

“Everything will be faster, players will be stronger,” says Leary, who parlayed an excellent national tournament for Northeastern Junior College into a full-ride scholarship offer from the Sooners. “You just have to be more mentally tough than anything, because the adversity you felt in high school and junior college, it doesn’t compare to Division I.

“You could have 20 points and be the greatest guy on Earth, or you could have 10 turnovers and they see your dirty drawers.”

Leary, a 2005 Lincoln High grad, leaves Portland this week to attend summer school and train with the Oklahoma basketball team. Since his return home from Northeastern, of Sterling, Colo., he has been on cloud nine. Leary took a chance and got released from his letter of intent with Colorado State – because CSU fired its coach – while hoping a good performance in the national junior college tournament would amount to better offers.

And it paid off. Leary averaged 22 points and six assists and made 13 of 30 3-pointers (.433) in four tournament games. Oklahoma came calling, but first Leary had to visit Norman, Okla., and determine whether the Sooners’ offer would be legitimate and how he fit in the plans.

“They were in definite need of a point guard,” he says. “My goal is to start.”

The 5-10 Leary averaged 14 points and six assists in his sophomore year at Northeastern, while shooting .439 from 3-point range and helping the Plainsmen go 34-2. He earned first-team National Junior College Athletic Association honors.

“First and foremost, he’s a very good kid. He has great character and is a hard worker,” second-year Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel says. “Secondly, he wins,” the coach adds, referring to Northeastern’s 64-6, two-year record with Leary at the point.

“He has the ability to be a very good leader at the point guard position for us,” Capel adds. “He’ll give us depth at that position and allow us to move some guys to different spots.”

An off-guard, Austin Johnson, played point last season, and Capel wants to see how he and Leary play together. With Capel’s blessing, Leary wants to play with teammates this summer and exert influence right away. A point guard usually does a mind meld with his coach to get the team to play better.

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