Louis Bleechmore spots up and fires from way, way beyond the confines of the arc.
The 6-foot-5 3-point ace takes shots well out of the range district of other junior off guards.
All the way from Sydney, Australia, Bleechmore has bought into the basketball culture which churned out iconic homegrown products such as Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavadova.
Bleechmore’s deft touch and ability to hit deep shots with consistency earned him credibility at an early age.
By the time he was a freshman in high school, Bleechmore found a starting role on varsity. Coming off screens ready to catch-and-stick, Bleechmore wound up leading the team in integral components such as scoring, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage.
Bleechmore’s frustration compounded, however, as the inherent lack of competition and lackluster local fanfare left little to be desired. Limited by the lack of nearby resources and expressing a desire to pursue hoops at the collegiate level, Bleechmore envisioned America as a launching pad for greater opportunity on the hardwood.
After dissecting all potential options over with a revered local coach, Bleechmore learned of the prep program at Scotland Campus Sports. Having undergone a quick growth spurt during his sophomore year, there was no shortage of potential.
The ramped up competition and around-the-clock focus of America’s advanced and evolving prep basketball landscape surely resonated with Bleechmore. The 16-year-old vows to increase his strength and fleet of foot, and discover a versatile toolset this season.
With a vastly improved talent pool surrounding him, Bleechmore said the thrill of the workload SCS everyday is being pushed well out of his comfort zone. This season, with SCS playing national competition and featuring a chock full of established basketball breeding grounds, the challenges will intensify rapidly.
Bleechmore said his primary focus is packing muscle onto a wiry, 175-pound frame. He also aims to embrace the more physical nature of the American game and shedding the habit of settling for his shot. That means attacking the driving lanes and adding to his vertical leap and above the rim game. Both elements of his still-growing game have shown early life during workouts this fall.
Bleechmore On His Role
Really I see myself as a knockdown shooter. That’s probably the best component of my game and I hope to be an asset by spreading the floor out. I reckon my role will be to get open and anticipate the drive. Then when they kick out, I’ll make the shot.
On Improvement
I think right now I need to tighten up my handle, make sure my handle is good. Obviously I need to get bigger so I can attack the rim and be stronger, finish with contact. By getting bigger and working on my handle, I’ll be able to do everything. I won’t be one-dimensional or limited on the court. That’s a major part of me coming here and taking the game as serious as I can.
On Adjusting To The American Game
It’s gone well so far. There’s obviously more emphasis on speed and strength here in the United States. We like to get the ball up the court quicker as a team and create open looks in a controlled style. So it’s important that we don’t get fatigued.
The competition in Australia is good, but its nothing like America. Guys are stronger, faster, bigger, more athletic. There are better shooters here. So, for my game I figured it would be best that I come here and see what it is like.
