Abby Leach’s stock is rising fastest among the 2019s

<strong>Abby Leach</strong> of Forest Lake has always been a great three-point shooter – in practice. Over the past few months, the 6-foot senior has become a great shooter when it really matters. That, and a laundry list of other enhancements to her game, has earned Leach the designation as the Prep Girls Hoops unsigned senior whose stock has risen the most this summer. Last week we brought you a list of the top 10 in two parts along with some honorable mentions. Gleaned from our own observations, with substantial input from most of the 2019 AAU coaches, Leach was a consensus choice. "I think it's more my confidence than anything," she said. "When I finally got my confidence I feel like everything just went up a few steps." The transformation began one year ago when she joined the Minnesota Stars' 2019 marquee team led by Jamal Guy and W.H. Nelson. Guy saw something in Leach he liked during the 2016-17 high school season and extended a tryout invitation. Leach made the club and Guy, who is an outstanding teacher of the game, went to work with her. What changed? "Well, I started actually shooting the ball," Leach said with a laugh. "Before I wouldn't even look to shoot; I was always looking to pass the ball. I think it was Jamal who helped me the most with that. In practice he would always stop me and say, 'You need to take your shot. You were wide open. Why didn't you shoot?'" [caption id="attachment_8804" align="alignleft" width="265"] Abby Leach of Forest Lake has become an outstanding defender, even against her Stars 2019 Nelson teammate Jaide Presley of Hopkins.[/caption] On her previous teams, Leach was a post and that's where she started with the Stars. Although she had the height for that role, Abby didn't have the strength. Guy felt she had been miscast. "We discovered that she should be out on the wing shooting mid-range shots and threes," Guy said. "Abby has added a great 3-point shot to her game meaning bigger players now have to come out and defend her. She can also take her player off the dribble when they come running out to defend." Late last summer the shots from distance started to fall. Last winter at Forest Lake, she and fellow senior-to-be <strong>Maddy Rice</strong> (Fury 2019 Yellow) were dropping bombs from everywhere, and the Rangers' success directly correlated to the accuracy of Leach and Rice on any given night. By the end of the season, Leach was thinking of herself as a shooter. "A couple of years ago It was very uncommon of me to hit a three," she said. "Now everyone is expecting me to make those shots." That self-belief has carried over into the summer where Leach has become a dominant force for the Nelson team, which captured its 47-team division at the Run 4 the Roses in Lousville this past weekend. <strong>More than just a sharpshooter</strong> Just as important as her improved shooting are the other areas of growth. Abby, who is also the highest-ranked female on Forest Lake's trap shooting team, has worked hard over the past year to get stronger. That investment is paying off and has helped Leach avoid the injuries that plagued her in the past. She has also become much quicker which, combined with a high basketball IQ and nice length, has enabled her to become Guy's best defender. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is her knack for taking charges. "I think that is my favorite thing to do in basketball," she said. "This past year I averaged almost two charges a game, and that was a big role for me. Everybody would be off the bench and cheering. That was a big spark." In Louisville she did it again and those charges were a big factor in the Stars' success. "Abby killed it against those big teams," Guy said, citing the three charges Leach took in the semifinal game. "It was a one-point game when a girl drove to the basket with two minutes left and Abby took the charge. The other team's leading scorer fouled out. We went on a six-point run and won the game by seven points because of her defense." Leach, who plans to study nursing in college, has a number of D2 opportunities on the table and received her first D1 offer a couple of weeks ago. "I'm very excited. From the beginning I knew I was a good player, but up until now I thought of myself as a D2 player," she said. "When I got the D1 offer I was ecstatic." For Guy, it is validation of what he saw in Leach the first time he watched her play. "We couldn't be happier for her. She really deserves it," he said. "Coaches are really warming up to her game and there will be more offers to come." When we updated the class of 2019 rankings in the spring, Leach vaulted up the list to #124 thanks to her improved play during the second half of the high school season. Her play this summer will no doubt move her up another 30 or 40 spots, perhaps more. That is testament to the value of hard work and self-belief. For serious college prospects, that's what it's all about. <span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>Photo top: Led by Abby Leach (back row, second from left), Minnesota Stars 2019 Nelson captured a 47-team division at the Run 4 the Roses in Louisville, Kentucky this past weekend.</em></span>