Former Orono Standout Shines In NBA Debut

Former Orono basketball standout Jon Leuer scored 18 points in his NBA debut for the Milwaukee Bucks against Minnesota in a 117-96 loss Saturday night at the Target Center.

Leuer was selected 40th overall in the NBA Draft by the Bucks after a standout college career at Wisconsin. His dreams of playing at the highest level were put on hold by the NBA lockout, so he signed a ten-month deal with Germany’s Frankfurt Skyliners. He joined the team in mid-August and averaged 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Leuer scored a season-best 27 points in his final game with the team before using an option in his contract that would allow him to join the Bucks when the NBA lockout ended.

Patch.com caught up with Leuer after his NBA debut to find out about his experience in Germany and the start of his pro basketball career in the U.S.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: You signed a contract with the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday, had two practices and went out and scored 18 points in your first NBA game. This NBA stuff is pretty easy, right?

Jon Leuer: (Laughing) Yes, I guess you could say that. No, it was fun to just get out there and compete against some other guys other than my teammates. I did some things out there, but I also made some mistakes and obviously, would have like to end that with a win, but I felt that I was able to do some things out there pretty well.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: You only had two practices. How much of the offense did you know?

Jon Leuer: I watch practice probably five times (while waiting to sign his NBA contract), and I diagrammed some stuff with the coaches. I tried to learn as much as I could without practicing. I felt that I had a decent feel for what we were trying to do out there, but obviously, I’ll learn a lot more and I will do that soon.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: How great was it to have your first game in Minnesota and have 60 to 70 friends and family members watching you?

Jon Leuer: It was definitely good to see all my family and friends after the game. I have been so lucky to have such a great group of people supporting me over the years and to be able to play in front of them at the Target Center was something that I’ll remember for a long time.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: I know that your mom was sitting courtside before she moved up because she was too nervous to watch. Did you notice your family and friends or did you try not to notice them? 

Jon Leuer: I was pretty focused on the game. I saw my dad sitting courtside with one of my sisters. It was hard not to see them, but for the most part, I was just focusing on what I had to get done on the court. 

Lake Minnetonka Patch: Were you surprised by how much playing time you got? Did you even know how much you were going to play at all?

Jon Leuer: I don’t know if anyone really knows how much playing time they are going to get in the first exhibition game. I was just going to try to be ready for whenever I was called upon, whether that was two minutes or 20 minutes. That is what I felt I did and that is what I will continue to do.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: You started out well. Did that give you more confidence in feeling that you belonged out there?

Jon Leuer: Yes. Anytime you can get a couple of shots and grabbed a few rebounds right away and do some good things defensively, you are able to get into a little bit more of a rhythm, so I think that helped. 

Lake Minnetonka Patch: What was the experience like over in Germany?  

Jon Leuer: It was good. I got to play against some good competition. I don’t think that you can get those kind of minutes or that kind of experience during the lockout anywhere else. Playing in an open gym games, you are not going to get the same kind of work as you would get going against other pros trying to run their system. That is what I got over there, which was adjusting to the 24 second shot clock. I made some good progress over there.  

Lake Minnetonka Patch: European team are known for practicing a lot more than their American counterparts and playing more of a half-court game. How different was it playing over there than what you are used to?

Jon Leuer: It wasn’t too different. We only did played one game a week, sometimes twice, so there was a lot of practice. For the most part, it was just basketball. There are some little things that they do differently. I had to adjust to the traveling calls. They do a little bit different traveling calls, so I got a couple of those. I had to adjust to that, but for the most part, it wasn’t a huge adjustment.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: How about life over there? What was that like?

Jon Leuer: It was different. You are kind of adjusting to a whole other culture. It was something that was a good experience, because it is good to be out of your comfort zone. I tried to really embrace a different culture. You don’t speak the language. The food is different. Everything is different, so it was a good life-experience for me.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: Did you get to pick up much of the language or just the main phrases you needed?

Jon Leuer: Yes, just enough to be polite. That was pretty much all I picked up.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: Your mom and dad were there for two weeks visiting you. How nice was that and did that make you a little more comfortable having them with you for a little while? 

Jon Leuer: Yes, that was great. My mom and dad and one of my sisters came over, too. Just to have family over there was great. That is one of the hardest parts, being over there and being alone. You don’t have the support group that you have had for your whole life around you, so that was great to see some familiar faces

Lake Minnetonka Patch: Were you kind of glad that the lockout ended when it did. I’m sure that you liked playing over there, but you were probably anxious to get over to the NBA and play back here? 

Jon Leuer: Yes, I was. Ultimately, I wanted to be back, playing in the NBA. That has been my dream ever since I was a kid. I was happy to come back. I felt like I did everything I could while I was over there and got better and helped that team, but now it was time to come back and start my NBA career.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: Do you think that helps you that you having been playing professional ball, while a lot of your teammates have just been playing pick up ball? You looked like you were in really good shape Saturday.

Jon Leuer: It might have helped me out a little bit. I’m sure that everyone was working out and getting runs in, but I think playing in a game where both teams are trying to run their own systems and it is real basketball. It’s not just a game up to seven or something. You are playing a full game and you get a lot of good experience from that.

Lake Minnetonka Patch: It had to be a good opportunity for you to showcase your game Saturday to the coaches, who had really seen you play much because of the NBA lockout?

Jon Leuer: The only thing that I am focused on right now is trying to come in every day and play as hard as I can and do whatever has to be done to help this team. That is really all I am focused on and if that is good enough to earn me minutes, then that is one of my goals. 

Lake Minnetonka Patch: You had two of your college teammates, Jordan Taylor and Mike Bruesewitz at the game. How special did that make it, not only having your friends and family, but also some former teammates come down to watch you play?

Jon Leuer: Those guys are like family, too. Playing with them over the years, it was just great to see them. I saw them two days earlier at the game in Milwaukee when Wisconsin played UW-Milwaukee. It is great to see those guys. We really do have a family-type atmosphere at Wisconsin and we have always been a close-knit group, so it was good to see my teammates and I follow those guys closely, too.