Leron Black

Leron Black

Black with the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2014
Rip City Remix
Position	Assistant coach
League	NBA G League
Personal information
Born	(1996-01-31) January 31, 1996 (age 28) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	White Station (Memphis, Tennessee)
College	Illinois (2014–2018)
NBA draft	2018: undrafted
Playing career	2018–2021
Position	Small forward
Number	12
Coaching career	2023–present
Career history
As player:
2018–2019	Argentino de Junín
2019–2020	Flamengo
2020	Minas
2020	Team Cali
2020–2021	Abejas de León
As coach:
2023–present	Rip City Remix (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Tennessee Mr. Basketball Class AAA (2014)

Leron "Boogie" Black (born January 31, 1996) is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini. ^[1]

High school career

In September 2012, Black verbally committed to Baylor University to play basketball, only to de-commit in January 2013. At the time in 2012, Black was actually the first top 25 recruit to announce his verbal commitment. ^{[2] [3]} Black explained that he committed to Baylor too early before exploring all of his options available. In talking about schools he was considering, Black listed UConn, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Memphis, and Ohio State. ^{[4] [5]}

After his official visit to Illinois, Black verbally committed to the program and coach John Groce on September 1, 2013. ^[6] On November 15, 2013, Black then signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Illinois starting in the 2014–15 season. During his senior season, Black averaged 20.2 points and 12.9 rebounds and lead White Station to a 30–3 record. Black was named Class AAA Tennessee Mr. Basketball for 2014, the Gatorade Tennessee Boys Basketball Player of the Year for 2014 and was named First team All-State by USA Today. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Leron Black PF	Memphis, TN	White Station (Tennessee)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Sep 1, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:    ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 50   Rivals: 38   ESPN: 44
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2014-05-13. "2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com. Retrieved 2014-05-13. "2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2014-05-13. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2014-05-13. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2014-05-13.

College playing career

In his first career start on January 21, 2015, Black posted a double-double in a win against Purdue with 15 points and a career high 13 rebounds, becoming the first Illinois player since Lowell Hamilton to post a double-double in his first career start. ^[10]

On October 8, 2015, it was announced that Black would miss 4–6 weeks after having surgery to repair a Meniscus tear in his knee. He returned to the lineup during the win against North Dakota State on November 15, 2015. ^{[11] [12]}

Following the 2017–18 season, Black was named to the honorable mention All Big-10 team by both the coaches and media. ^[13]

College statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2014–15	Illinois	33	10	14.8	.475	.000	.682	4.3	.1	.3	.2	5.0
2015–16	Illinois	7	3	14.3	.417	.000	.500	4.4	.6	.3	.3	4.4
2016–17	Illinois	31	27	20.2	.453	.297	.722	6.3	.4	.5	.1	8.1
2017–18	Illinois	31	30	25.5	.547	.512	.800	5.2	.8	.3	.3	15.3
Career		102	70	19.6	.499	.398	.749	5.2	.5	.4	.2	9.0

Professional playing career

On March 15, 2018, Black announced he would forego his final season of eligibility at Illinois to pursue a professional basketball career. ^[14] He was not selected in the 2018 NBA draft.

On August 5, 2018, Black signed a one-year deal with the Israeli team Elitzur Yavne of the Liga Leumit. ^[15] However, on October 8, 2018, Black parted ways with Yavne before appearing in a game for them. ^[16]

On October 20, 2018, Black was selected with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA G League Draft by the Raptors 905. ^[17] On November 1, 2018, the Raptors 905 announced that they had waived him from training camp. ^[18]

On November 30, 2018, Black signed with Argentino de Junín of the Liga Nacional de Básquet in Argentina. ^[19]

On July 3, 2019, Black signed with Flamengo to play the 2019–20 NBB season in Brazil. ^[20] In 11 games he averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Black joined Minas for the remainder of the season and averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. On August 8, 2020, Black signed with Abejas de León of the LNBP. ^[21]

The Basketball Tournament

Black joined House of 'Paign, a team composed primarily of Illinois alumni in The Basketball Tournament 2020. He scored two points in a 76–53 win over War Tampa in the first round. ^[22]

International play

In May 2014, Black was among the 24 players who earned an invitation to the training camp for USA Basketball FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ^{[23] [24]}

Coaching career

Black joined the Dayton Flyers as a graduate assistant in 2021. He was elevated to the position of video coordinator in 2023. ^[25]

On October 30, 2023, Black was hired as an assistant coach and director of video by the Rip City Remix of the NBA G League. Black was promoted to an assistant coach the following season for the Rip City Remix ^[26]

References

1. Jackson, Marcus (October 2, 2014). "Five questions about UI basketball". News-Gazette . Retrieved October 3, 2014.
2. Telep, Dave (January 3, 2013). "Leron Black to take time after Baylor split". ESPN . Retrieved May 13, 2014.
3. Telep, Dave (September 17, 2012). "Leron Black headed to Baylor". ESPN . Retrieved May 13, 2014.
4. Albers, Justin (June 17, 2013). "Hoosiers making strong impression on 2014 forward LeRon Black". Inside the Hall. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
5. Roberts, Ben (June 13, 2013). "Leron Black says he's never had contact with UK" . Retrieved May 13, 2014.
6. Jackson, Marcus (September 1, 2013). "Leron Black commits to Illini". News-Gazette . Retrieved May 13, 2014.
7. "Class AAA Mr. Basketball Winner: LeRon Black from White Station High School". Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. March 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
8. "WHITE STATION HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE® TENNESSEE BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR" (PDF). Gatorade Player of the Year. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
9. Kreager, Tom (May 1, 2014). "Area's best basketball players names to USA TODAY all-state team" (PDF). The Daily News Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
10. "Illinois Basketball". IlliniHoops. 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
11. "Illini look to cover for Leron Black, who will undergo meniscus surgery". ESPN. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
12. "Men's Basketball vs North Dakota State on 11/15/2015" . Retrieved 2015-11-09.
13. Steedman, Bryan (26 February 2018). "Big Ten Announces 2017–18 All-Conference Teams". BT Powerhouse. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
14. Ryan, Shannon (15 March 2018). "Illinois forward Leron Black leaving to pursue pro career". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
15. "מלסאן בסבה חתם בכפ"ס, לרון בלאק ביבנה". one.co.il (in Hebrew). August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
16. "חילוף זרים ביבנה: לרון בלאק שוחרר, ג'וינר חתם". one.co.il (in Hebrew). October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
17. Reynolds, Daniel (October 20, 2018). "Raptors 905 select three players in the 2018 G League Draft". SB Nation. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
18. Bnaje (November 1, 2018). "Raptors 905 Announce Opening Day Roster". NBA G League. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
19. Cauchi, Orazio (November 30, 2018). "Argentino de Junin signs rookie Leron Black". Sportando. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
20. "Ala/pivô norte-americano estava no Argentino de Junin (ARG) e atuou em uma renomada universidade na NCAA". lnb.com.br. July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
21. Chelidze, Dimitri (August 8, 2020). "Leron Black agreed terms with Abejas". Eurobasket. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
22. Richey, Scott (July 4, 2020). "Thrive and advance". The News-Gazette . Retrieved July 5, 2020.
23. "2USA Basketball Announces U18 Training Camp Roster". SLAM Magazine. May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
24. "Leron Black Competing in USA Basketball U18 Training Camp". University of Illinois DIA. June 10, 2014. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
25. "Leron Black". University of Dayton Athletics. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
26. Holdahl, Casey [@CHold] (October 30, 2023). "The @ripcityremix begin training camp for their inagural [sic] season today at the @trailblazers practice facility. Here's who they're taking into camp..." (Tweet). Retrieved November 12, 2023– via Twitter.

External links

• Illinois Fighting Illini bio
• Career Statistics