From the beat writer's desk
ROBINSON — Here in his hometown, Meyers Leonard is a legend.
Reminders of the Portland Trail Blazers big man’s greatness at Robinson High are all over the school on the Indiana border in southern Illinois.
The state championship banner he helped the Maroons win in 2010 hangs prominently. In the trophy cases, his USA Basketball jersey, along with the various all-state awards he won during a stellar prep career, are featured.
It’s even more evident on a Friday morning in late June as close to 100 kids sit and look up wide-eyed at the 7-foot-1 NBA player from their town of 7,000, many of them wearing his NBA or Illini jersey during his second annual basketball camp.