The sideline dribbling practice that made him a star

Leonard Whippy can't exactly pin down the age he started playing basketball. "From when I was able to walk, I would be at the gymnasium with my parents" he vividly recalls.

As his parents played, Leonard would use the sidelines as a mini runaway which would slowly see his dribbling skills take flight. The timeouts and half-time were the breaks the youngster needed to run on to the court and heave as many shots possible before the blaring sound of the buzzer would have him scurrying back to his designated zone.

"I can also remember being woken up at the gym when games where over"

This was the weekly routine for the young Whippy. One look at Leonard and you wouldn't guess that he is a basketball player. Standing at 5'11 the 32-year-old has a calm demeanour about him with a quick sense of humour that further distances him from the game known for brash "trash talkers". Like when talking about the lack of statistics in Fiji he is quick to throw me a stat that he is sure has eluded him "I have never gotten a technical foul in my life".

He is basketball's Mr nice guy off the court. Throw on a basketball vest, sneakers and hand him a basketball and you're up facing the full repertoire of a complete player who was literally raised in a basketball gym. Deft handling with both hands which make it seem that all his childhood sideline practices has made the ball become an extension of his hands, making it almost impossible for defenders to pilfer.

This floor general and custodian of Fiji's point guard position since SPG 1999, captained the national team to gold medal glory at the Pacific Games in 2007 in Samoa. With the philosophy of "pass first, shoot second", Leonard's statistics in the assists department is one that definitely doesn't elude him. A prolific dime dropper but cheat on defence and he can also burn you with his outside shots.

Leonard's skills and Mormon faith led him to study and also play basketball for Brigham Young University in Hawaii, where he also met, Keetu, a Tahitian who he would eventually marry in 2006.They now have four kids together. Leonard's parent's, Paul and Olive Whippy both represented Fiji in Basketball and the former later coached at national level for a string of tours, have been the main driving force in his career.

With the Whippy name synonymous with basketball in Fiji , there are other relatives who have etched their names in the annals of basketball history and some are still taking the legacy to new heights. A family steeped in basketball tradition, but that's another story.

Right now the ball is in Leonard's court and will soon be the secure hands of Fiji's most experienced and consistent player. Outside the Vodafone Arena, you will often see the familiar figure of Leonard Whippy lugging a huge netted bag full of basketballs over one shoulder and a toddler on the other with the bigger kids in tow, stopping only to load them one by one into his 7 seater Toyota Innova van.

The kids are exhausted from dribbling on the sidelines and at intervals to shooting for the regulation 10feet hoop which is way too high for their size. It may seems late for the kids but that deep knowingly smile on Leonard's face is hard to miss.


Source: The Fiji Times Newspaper

Wednesday 18th March 2015




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