Valley Hoops Insider Interviews Malevy Leons Podcast

Well, welcome to the Valley Hoops Insider podcast, part of the Valley Hoops Insider website. Harry Schrader here, editor of the site and host of this show. And yeah, we've been taking our time plowing through, getting to know the very best players in the Missouri Valley Conference. And today we have the privilege of having Bradley star forward Malevy Leons joining us. And there he is. Good morning to you, sir.

Uh, good morning.

Thanks for doing this. I just want to start out by saying this. It's shocking to me that people travel from other countries, come to a different country to pursue their dream. When was the first time you thought, man, I've got to go to America to pursue this dream?

So just the first time I ever watched the NBA game, I think I was 10, and that's when I kind of found out that basketball is like the biggest sport in America. And unlike back home where soccer is like the dominant sport. And when I was 16, I traveled to New York and I watched like a college game. And that just like kind of sold me like, I got to go to college. It's like amazing.

It's amazing to me that you're here and doing this. 4 or 5 languages that you know, came from the Netherlands. And, and I want to go back like you and Rink Mast kind of knew each other and then you played internationally together. What kind of relationship do you have with that guy that left your program? I'm mad at him anyway, but what kind of relationship do you guys have?

Uh, I think, uh, so before, uh, I came here, we didn't really know each other. We just like played against each other back home. And like over here, I feel like we built up a good relationship, just being from like the same background and like, uh, him being able to navigate me, uh, coming in here and like helping me out. So I, I think we have a good relationship.

Defensive Player of the Year, second-team all-conference guy, first Missouri Valley Conference player to get 200 boards, 50 steals, 50 blocks. Uh, how do you top that this coming season?

I don't know, just try my hardest again and see whatever comes out of it.

Uh, your family background, I, I read somewhere that your mom was the basketball player in the family. Did she coach you up?

Uh, yeah. Uh, Actually, it was both my mom and dad who would coach me up. My dad was a semi-professional soccer player, and my mom played basketball, so she first introduced me to it. But my dad helped me a lot as well with like driving me to games and just him being like in a professional setting, like showing me go to bed early, make sure I eat well. So both of them really helped me out a lot.

You played in the Dutch, and I guess it's like a professional league because the systems are so different. Um, but how would you compare the Dutch league that you're in to like playing now in the Missouri Valley Conference?

Uh, I think they are kind of comparable, to be honest. Obviously it's, uh, like all the guys in the Dutch league, but over here we both play very physical and very smart, like a methodical way of playing. It's just, uh, probably like more like athletic guys over here in the Valley.

You came in a couple years ago. You and Connor Hickman were part of the same recruiting class, and I don't think there's anybody else in that recruiting class still around as guys have moved around. Talk to me a little bit about him. We interviewed him last spring. Really impressed with that young man.

Oh yeah, it's my roommate. It's a hard worker. I think he's like in the gym always shooting, always trying to get better, and. Just had a great time playing with them these last 2 years.

Uh, before I want to talk to you about the team and about, uh, the upcoming season, but I, but I read online, you know, on the, um, the website there, the Bradley website, website, that your major is apparel and merchandising. Uh, so you, are you cashing in on the NIL right now? Like, are you creating your own, like, clothing line and selling it with, you know, your image or your number 14 or something?

Not yet. I'm still trying to work on it and become better. But, uh, yeah, I've learned a lot in these last 2 years, and hopefully after basketball I can pursue like a professional career in that industry.

Oh, you need an agent or something. You got to get that apparel going, get that number 14 out there. The— anyway, I, I'm excited about that for you. I know you want to play hoops before, before you have to dive into all of that. Um, what's it been like? And talk to me about Brian Wardle. Talk to me about the What impresses you about your head coach and how he helps you guys get better?

So outside of all the basketball stuff, obviously he's like a great coach. I feel like he learns us to be like great grown men as well. Like, he's a great dad, shows us how to like be a hard worker at his job and take care of his children. Like, I feel like he, outside of basketball, he gives us like a lot of life lessons as well.

He's a quality guy, and, uh, I appreciate the way he goes about what he does. Uh, ending up at Bradley, was that related to Rink, or was it totally separate from a relationship with Rinkmaster?

So because of COVID I wasn't able to like really visit places, so I kind of had to like go off stuff like that. And so Bradley, been to the Netherlands, uh, for like international, uh, like games when I was, I think, 17. And I played against them already, so I kind of had like a feel for them already. And obviously I knew Rink, so it made like the most sense to go to Bradley for me at that time.

You were the Junior College Player of the Year playing for Mineral Area. How did you end up at Mineral Area Community College? I mean, that's not exactly next door to—

No, it was not. So obviously I decided to go to college, and my grades weren't good enough to go to the uh, 4-year level right away, so I had to find a junior college. And my coach knew the coach at Mineral Area, so that's how I ended up there, and ended up working out very well.

We're still going to talk about some of your teammates, but, uh, when you travel through the Missouri Valley Conference, where's the gym, the, the arena that you love to play at the most that isn't Bradley?

That is in Bradley. Uh, what's the— I like the atmosphere in, uh, uh, Southern, uh, Illinois, their stadium. They have a lot of fans come to the games. I like the atmosphere over there.

So you like fighting with the dog pound, do you?

Yeah, there's always metal there.

I do have to ask this crazy question, being a single, uh, language person. Uh, when you're on the basketball court, are you translating everything? Like, how does it— like, all those languages, you know, do they all just come spontaneously? Like, if I started talking French, would you talk French back at me?

No, it's just, uh, I guess basketball language. I feel like it's a universal language and it just works out.

So you guys, uh, won the regular season a year ago, and you've won a— in the recent years, you know, you've been, uh, conference tournament champions and all those kinds of things. Still a lot of team goals out in front of you guys. Talk about the level of confidence, the level of expectation on this year's Bradley Brave basketball team.

I feel like we just want to like do better than last year. Like we want to keep building. I feel like last year we like got like a bigger step than the first year that I was here. We just like trying to improve every year and keep becoming better.

One of the things I love about Coach Wardle is he always talks about players being a star at their role. When you think about your game, obviously you're a great defender. What are the things you're working on for this upcoming season to improve your own game?

Uh, just becoming better, like, decision maker, uh, being a, like, more consistent shooter, like, keep working on my shot. And yeah, those are the 2 things I've been working on a lot.

Your game is so expansive, meaning, like, you'll take it outside, you're a thunderous dunker, you're a great defender, uh, you're a problem. For the other team, I mean they don't really know how to defend you because you're dangerous every place. That's that's a big advantage for you, isn't it?

Yeah, I just always trying to work like on everything, like trying to expand all parts of my game.

And yeah, when you guys were here, I'm here in St. Louis and you were playing Southern Illinois Edwardsville last year. You had kind of a dogfight right there at in Edwardsville, and and I think that was a night that Hannah kind of went off. You two. Uh, are, are really a handful for people with your size and your athleticism. Talk a little bit about Darius.

Man, Darius is like so athletic and like he can do so much stuff. Uh, he can like pass really well, he can dribble really well, he's like a great defender. So it's always great to play with him because, you know, he got your back at all times.

He might be the most ferocious dunker in the Valley. What do you think?

Uh, yeah, I've seen it on practice a couple of times, so I can definitely agree with that.

Uh, talk to me, you mentioned Connor Hickman a minute ago, and I just read something online. Somebody posted that, oh, Connor's bench pressing this and he's deadlifting that. And, and I know he's a workout guy and he's a hard worker, but talk about his game on the floor and, and maybe his— obviously guards have to be leaders at some level— his leadership role.

Oh, he's a great leader. Like, he's the first one to like step up and like tell people when they're like, uh, not doing as well, like call people out. He's making sure everyone is like always on point and knows the place and like where we have to go. And I feel like he just helps me out so much by taking that leadership role and helping people out on the court and off the court.

And his game keeps growing. I mean, he showed up and he did well, and then last year even better. I feel like he's on the verge of becoming a star in this league. Your thoughts?

Definitely, I would totally agree with that.

And then his partner in the backcourt, Duke Dean. Tell me a little bit about him, just what kind of guy he is and what he brings to the table for the Braves.

Duke is a great guy. He's just like Connor Hickman, a great leader for us, helps us on and off the floor, and equally as great of a player. He can shoot the ball and can always find me wherever I'm open. Like, it's great to play with him, and he brings just like some pace to the game. Like, he pushes the ball and I'm just able to like run the lanes.

So he's, he's interesting because nobody on your team is going to go out and score 20 probably every night. You know, that's just not the way your team is wired. I mean, you have guys that could, but I think he's the kind of guy that could go get 25 on a, on a, you know, if he wants to.

Yeah, easily. I would definitely agree with that.

Uh, so there's newcomers to your team. Talk to me about a couple of the newer guys on your squad. I think, uh, Coach Wardle brought in some really outstanding newcomers.

Oh, so we got Trey from Chicago. He's an explosive guard who can shoot and like create his own shot. We got Imarion. He can drive the ball really well and is like a good defender out on the wing, like he gets deflections a lot.

Mm-hmm.

We got Kyle Thomas, who's a great athlete, can run the floor and can shoot a little bit as well. We got Elmar, who can shoot very well and pass as well very good. And we got Omar Domarian, O as we call him. He is just a thunderous attacker and like a great athlete.

I'm really curious about Omar. I know he had a busy summer playing for his national team. Break him down a little bit for me. Tell me about like how you guys go at it. He's a bigger guy, but kind of an outside player, I think, from what I've read. Tell me about him.

Yeah, he can kind of do it all. Like, he can shoot very well, but he can also play inside. And he just has like a great feel for the game. Like, he understands it at a very high level for a freshman, definitely.

Do you think the European guys— not— they don't have an advantage, but have a little bit of an advantage? I mean, some of the style of play and the playing against older guys often, do you think that helps the European player come in and be able to play right away here in the States?

Yeah, I feel like if they get like the chance to like talk to like older players and pro players, they are like able to like learn from them and maybe have like a slight advantage of like learning about the game on a deeper level a little more.

So talk to me about the Illinois State-Bradley rivalry. Do you, do you players feel that like the fans do? I was talking to an Illinois State player the other day and he was like, yeah, The game I look forward to is that Bradley game, you know, and I just, I wonder if the players feel the same way.

No, definitely. That's like always a great matchup. Like no matter what the standings are in the competition, it's going to be super competitive. And, uh, it's just so you can like feel how the rivalry has been going on for like years. Like it's bigger than our team in this year. It's like something that's been going on for like 40 years. And like you really want to win because then you're the heroes in town and If you lose, you better stay inside. Don't want to show face.

They call it the— well, we call it the War on 74, and they used to, but then they tried to make it sweeter. Now it's the I-74 rivalry, and that's not right. It's the War on 74. I mean, that thing is a battle. Uh, when you look around the league, who are— tell me about a team or two that you think, man, I think they're going to be really good this year. Obviously you haven't been able to see all their newcomers, but based on things that you knew about them from a year ago.

Uh, I think Drake is going to be good again, uh, after last year. And, uh, I think Northern Iowa might be good as well.

They got a lot of people back. Uh, who do you, uh, is there someone in the league that, like, an opposing player that you, uh, know pretty well or admire? I mean, like, over the years I've known guys that have gotten close to one another, guys on, you know, players from other teams. Is there, are there, is there a player or two out there that you kind of, yeah, you kind of connect with?

Uh, I know one of the players on the Velpo, uh, Jerome Palm. He's from the Netherlands as well, and we've known each other since we were like super young.

So, so you guys have an existing relationship prior to all of this?

Yeah, yeah, we worked out in the summer, so it's pretty fun to see him do well as well.

How, how often do you get to go home, or do your family members get to come here?

Uh, once a year. So I, I go back home in the summer for like a month. And my family, I think they will come out for graduation this year or senior night as well.

Well, that's exciting. Your thoughts about professional basketball? Obviously, the European stage is open to you. Do you have you talked around, talked to scouts, talked to people about your chances professionally on this side of the ocean?

Yeah, I've been. Just trying to prepare for myself for having like a good year this year, and I definitely want to play professional after my college career. I want to play basketball as long as possible. That be a great profession.

I feel like listen, six nine rabid defender. There's a place for you, bro. I mean, you can score it too, but I mean that that outstanding defense people are going to want that guy that can do it all. You can guard one through five. You get out and run the floor. I mean, like. Just so enjoy, uh, watching you play. And, and I know your passion on the defensive end has got to be something that Coach Wardle really enjoys. Yes, I hope so, because he likes the defensive end of it all. Uh, before I let you go, uh, you guys talk to me about practice. Everybody healthy? Everybody doing well so far?

Yeah, everybody have been healthy. We've been working on our offense and defense like Trying to get like our system into place and just connecting with each other, building chemistry on and off the court.

So you guys lose Rink, but you've got a bunch of people back, and I won't press you to say, hey, who are the starting five? But but you've got a good group of players that can. Yeah, I mean, you've got seven or eight or maybe even nine that can really be starters. Am I right about that?

No, you're definitely right about that. So every day we're like fighting for that position in the practices. Gets really competitive that way.

I think it's going to be a fun year in the Missouri Valley Conference. Uh, before I let you go, the, the thought about the league— you guys, uh, as you mentioned, 2 years ago things were okay, last year you win the conference, but then you don't win the tournament. And postseason play has got to be the goal, am I right?

Yeah, definitely. Like, we want to win it all this year.

Well, I appreciate your time today. Thanks for doing this. Really wish you the best. I super enjoy the way you take The game on. I mean, I love the way you're approached to it all, and I imagine you'll be down here in St. Louis next week for the media day.

Yeah, I think so at least.

Well, good. We'll get to see you. I'm seeing you face to face, but I'll see you face to face next week. Appreciate your time today. That's Malavai Lyons. He is the star forward of the Bradley Braves, and they're gonna have a great season this year, and he's gonna have a terrific year as well. I'm Harry Schrader reminding you since you've been there, make it a better place. We'll see you again real soon.