Introduction
Leron "Savage" Black (born January 31, 1996) is an American college basketball player for the University of Illinois, where he is a sophomore for the 2015–16 team.
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. 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.
After his official visit to Illinois, Black verbally committed to the program and coach John Groce on September 1, 2013. 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.
| 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 | |
Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 87 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 50 Rivals: 38 ESPN: 44 | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
In his first career start on January 21, 2014 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.
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.
College statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Illinois | 33 | 10 | 14.8 | 47.5 | 0.00 | 68.2 | 4.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 5.0 |
Updated: November 18, 2015
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.