MONROE — Natalie Leuzinger has spent countless hours on basketball courts perfecting her craft. Sometimes it’s on the hardwood at Black Hawk High School. Other times it’s at a park down the street from her house. And then it’s traveling the country playing AAU with Wisconsin Academy.
During her most recent AAU adventure which journeyed through Indianapolis and Louisville, Leuzinger, a state champion this past spring, received a much-welcomed phone call from McKendree University head coach Kari Kerkoff.
“She said she normally doesn’t do this over the phone, but she saw me play and offered me a full-ride scholarship,” Leuzinger said. “I was speechless at first. I’ve worked my whole life for a scholarship. It’s nice to see the hard work is finally paying off.”
McKendree is a Division II school in Lebanon, Illinois. It’s about 20 miles east of St. Louis and over 300 miles and a 5-hour car ride from Leuzinger’s home.
“I haven’t had time to look up too much on them yet. The coach did say that they have a lot of Wisconsin girls on the team,” Leuzinger said.
The Bearcats have six players from Wisconsin high schools on their roster, mostly from Oak Creek and the Fox Valley, as well as Brianna Johnson, who played at Beaver Dam.
Leuzinger has had a lot of success at Black Hawk, losing just two games in three years with a silver ball and a gold ball to show for it. Early in her junior season she joined the 1,000-point club.
Two of her Warriors teammates — sisters Bailey and Hannah Butler — also play for Wisconsin Academy AAU. Bailey, a junior, recently received and accepted a scholarship offer from UW-Green Bay. Former Black Hawk star and the school’s girls basketball all-time leading scorer Jen Wellnitz also played for UWGB.
“Coming from a small school, D5 does not get a lot of recognition. But I think we’ve proven that if you put in the work, you can do it,” Leuzinger said.
The all-state guard said that the AAU circuit is much tougher than the rigors of the prep season during the winter. Playing for Wisconsin Academy, she plays with girls from Madison Memorial and Abby Campion of Milton. Also playing this summer is Makayla Mau, a new transfer to Black Hawk. Mau, at 6-2, will give the Warriors a post player in the paint. Leuzinger said that getting a chance to mesh with Mau and the Butlers this summer will be key this winter when Black Hawk looks to defend its state title.
Leuzinger said that she’s not in a rush to commit to McKendree, and that other schools have shown interest in her skill set, which includes dribble-drive penetration and 3-point shooting. Leuzinger is a career 40.7% shooter from deep. She has scored 1,374 points in her career with 140 3s made. She is a three-time all-state honoree and has been named Six Rivers East Conference Player of the Year all three years of high school.
