{"id":41211,"date":"2026-01-21T14:08:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T19:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/?p=41211"},"modified":"2026-01-21T17:53:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T22:53:26","slug":"frenchman-anchoring-sharks-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/frenchman-anchoring-sharks-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"Frenchman Anchoring Sharks Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Leeroy Nijean, basketball has always been more than a game; it\u2019s been part of his upbringing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growing up in France, the forward was deeply immersed in the sport. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Noel Nijean, a professional basketball player in Europe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Long before he envisioned playing in the United States, Nijean was watching practices, absorbing habits and developing a feel for the game that shaped his identity as a player.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMy dad was a pro,\u201d Nijean said. \u201cI was following him everywhere, watching him practice and all that. That\u2019s when I really fell in love with basketball.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He used that passion to suit up for France\u2019s JL Bourg Basket\u2019s U21 team. Now, Nijean is using the discipline, defense and team mindset he learned, as he transitions to Miami Dade College.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through 19 games, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdcathletics.com\/sports\/mbkb\/2025-26\/players\/leeroynijeannwdj\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nijean <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is averaging 10.1 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game, anchoring the Sharks on the glass while continuing to impact winning in ways that go beyond the stat sheet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLeeroy does a lot of the dirty work, rebounding, hustling, bringing energy,\u201d said <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.com\/staging\/8357\/brelands-journey-takes-him-from-north-carolina-to-starring-role-at-mdc\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anthony Breland<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Sharks star player. \u201cHe gives us second and third chances and does things that don\u2019t always show up on the stat sheet, but they matter to winning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That mentality was born during his time in France. Unlike the more individual-driven style often seen in the United States, French basketball emphasizes connectivity, specific roles and winning as a unit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s more about the team,\u201d Nijean said. \u201cIt\u2019s not about me scoring every night. It\u2019s about winning. Everybody knows their role.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At MDC, the six-foot-5 big freshman from Peronnas, France has carved out a niche by embracing the physical and mental demands others sometimes shy away from. Nijean prides himself on doing the dirty work, a mindset that has earned him more minutes and his teammates trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEverybody wants to make big plays,\u201d Breland said. \u201cBut Leeroy focuses on the little things, extra rebounds, diving for loose balls, playing defense. When someone does that, it gets the whole team going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nijean, a small forward, has embraced multiple roles on the court this year,filling in for often injured six-foot-9 sophomore center Amari Davis, who has only played two games this season, and freshman power forward David Verstraeten, who is averaging 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result, Nijean has often been matched against bigger players but he has managed to secure four double-doubles. The Sharks are 2-2 in those games.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHe\u2019s probably been our most energetic player,\u201d Sharks Head Coach Jorge Fernandez said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean the other guys haven\u2019t played with energy, but his energy really stands out. He impacts winning. There are a lot of games where he\u2019s had double-doubles, and he usually guards the other team\u2019s best player.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That unselfish attitude has helped the Sharks jump out to a 12-7 start, including wins in six of their last eight games, as they shoot for a national tournament playoff bid in Hutchinson, Kansas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe want to go to Hutch,\u201d Nijean said. \u201cGo as far as we can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i>Click<\/i><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><a style=\"color: #3366ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/mdcthereporter.us19.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=4fc6146412415baee32007fd7&amp;id=b5cd3712dc\"><i> here<\/i><\/a><\/span><i> to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For Leeroy Nijean, basketball has always been more than a game; it\u2019s been part of his upbringing. Growing up in France, the forward was deeply immersed in the sport. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Noel Nijean, a professional basketball player in Europe.\u00a0 Long before he envisioned playing in the United States, Nijean [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13482680,"featured_media":41174,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,2749,2805],"tags":[61],"class_list":{"0":"post-41211","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-kendall-campus","9":"category-mens-basketball","10":"tag-mens-basketball"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Frenchman Anchoring Sharks Defense<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Leeroy Nijean, who is averaging 10.1 points and a team leading 8.1 rebounds 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