Don’t get into a conversation about ankles with Maarty Leunen.
He knows more about loose ligaments and rolled ankles than R. Kelly does about underage girls.
Leunen, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, has endured numerous ankle problems throughout his basketball career; the most recent sidelined him for a career-long two weeks.
“Honestly, I’ve never sat out that long,” Leunen said. “I just had something that pinched on the inside of the foot. If I put any pressure on it, it would just give a sharp pain in that spot. It made it really tough to do anything on.”
Leunen has rolled both of his ankles a combined six or seven times since high school, but when he landed on a Stanford opponent’s foot after nailing a jumper Jan. 7, Leunen learned the hard way that conditioning and staying on your game are the first to go when you take time off the court.
“It’s really tough. I haven’t took two weeks off for like two years,” he said. “Through the season and summer, you just can’t afford to take time off, otherwise it’s tough to come back as I’m finding out.”
He returned for less than one minute against Washington State on Jan. 19, but it was two days later at Washington that Leunen first tested that ankle. He didn’t score in 16 minutes of play.
Since returning nearly a month ago, Leunen has been recovering and gaining confidence in his ankle, which he emphasized is an extremely important factor in playing basketball.
“Your feet and your ankles and your legs have everything to do with running, jumping, jump shots and playing defense,” Leunen said. “It’s a big factor in your mobility and how you play the game.”
It has been a big factor for Leunen, who leads Oregon by almost two rebounds per game with 6.5. He is fifth on the team in scoring with 7.6 per game.
“It definitely affected us, even though we won games because we were missing a big ingredient in terms of how we play and the shots we get at that position,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. “I think it affected him because he was on his way to a second back-to-back double-double, and here his confidence was coming. Who knows how many strings he could have put together with that because he rebounds the ball so well and he can score it when he’s on his game.”
This season, Leunen has also recorded career-high 17-point performances against California (the game before he rolled his ankle at Stanford) and Saturday at Arizona State. He posted a career-high 13 rebounds against Rice and has set single-game career-bests in field goals made (six), three-pointers made (three), assists (four), steals (three), blocks (three) and minutes played (35).
Leunen has played numerous positions in Kent’s system, where a “four” on the court is able to move outside. Leunen said he has no preference whether he is banging inside the paint for rebounds or knocking down three-pointers.
A combination of size and quickness allows Leunen to shift positions routinely, but Kent believes that strength is the most important factor for the future.
“His strength is the biggest thing,” Kent said. “To get his body strong and everything else because that will help his confidence, help his endurance and allow him to shoot better.”
On the flip side, Leunen and his teammates agree that taking care of the “little things” is the area in which Leunen excels.
“The fact that I can do a whole bunch of little things,” Leunen said. “I don’t really do something spectacular offensively or defensively. I’m willing to just do the little things, get rebounds, hit the open jumper, play defense. I wouldn’t say there is one thing that sticks out.”
Teammate Ray Schafer, who is also known as a hustler, said it is a necessity for a winning team to have players that dive on the floor and make plays.
“I don’t think you can put a tag on how valuable that is,” Schafer said. “It’s not something that shows up in the stats. If you are getting those loose balls and the little things like that, they’re really priceless. The things that add up at the end of the game that can make the difference.”
However, Schafer believes that Leunen’s jump shot is the best part of his game.
“I think his greatest asset is his ability to shoot the mid-range jumper,” he said. “That really opens up the rest of his game because you’ve got to guard him honest everywhere.”
Oregon point guard Aaron Brooks said Leunen is just a tough guy to guard. His quickness allows him to succeed inside, while his height is important outside.
“He’s just a difficult mismatch. Maarty is definitely a mismatch problem,” Brooks said. “He does all of the intangibles. He just has a knack for knowing how to get the ball.”
As one of the most prized in-state recruits, the 2004 Gatorade State Player of the Year says there wasn’t pressure to choose Oregon and that his gut feeling told him it was the right choice. Leunen bought into the system from the start and he feels the learning curve is ongoing.
“I think I’ve grown from the first day until now, within my game and how everything has come together,” he said. “I still think I’ve got a long way to go to get where I want to get to. That’s what will keep working for every offseason, to just get better for the season.”
Surrounded by a trio of fellow sophomores, Leunen has emerged as a constant threat from anywhere on the court and a viable last-shot option, proven Thursday against No. 20 Washington as Leunen narrowly missed the game-tying shot as the buzzer sounded. Leunen, who was held to five points, was on the floor with time winding down on the final possession. The Ducks’ play was a double screen for Brooks and if the defense chased, Leunen was to step out for a three-pointer. The Huskies followed suit and with the clock under a second it was Leunen who hoisted a three-pointer that rimmed in and out.
Kent has the confidence to give Leunen the clutch shot and Kent feels that once Leunen gains 100 percent confidence in that ability, he will be a premier player not only on the roster but in the Pac-10 as well.
“When he gets his total confidence in his shot, he’ll almost be unstoppable,” Kent said. “He should be one of the best players in the league at his position next year. He’s on track to doing that.”

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