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REDMOND — Maarty Leunen was back home this week, playing a little golf and relaxing. Sure, the former Redmond High standout would rather be playing for Oregon in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. But after the Ducks’ disappointing 76-69 first-round loss to Mississippi State on Friday, he knows it’s time to move on. Leunen was hit with a dose of reality, much like any recent college graduate who is about to enter the real world. But Leunen’s reality might be a bit rosier than most — it comes with the prospect of getting paid to play basketball. “I’m definitely going to pursue playing professionally, whether it be in the NBA or overseas,” said Leunen, sitting in the clubhouse at Juniper Golf Club on Tuesday, after playing a round of golf with friendsIt might be too early to make projections on when or if Leunen will get drafted by an NBA team, or whether he’ll play overseas. He said he has heard his status ranges from getting drafted early in the second round to going undrafted. <A href="http://bbads.sv.publicus.com/apps/OAMS.dll/link/BB001/ARTICLE/SPORTS05/60024364620669396/1013/-/;IDN=<pbs:random id=ARTICLE min=1000 max=10000000000>;Type=3" TARGET="_blank"> <IMG src="http://bbads.sv.publicus.com/apps/OAMS.dll/img/BB001/ARTICLE/SPORTS05/60024364620669396/1013/-/;IDN=<pbs:random id=ARTICLE min=1000 max=10000000000>;Type=3" BORDER="0" ALT=""></A> But a lot can change over the next couple months. Leunen said he hopes to sign with an agent by this weekend, and he will likely participate in pre-draft camps and workouts for NBA teams throughout the spring. The NBA draft is June 26, with two rounds of 30 selections each. The 6-foot-9-inch, 220-pound Leunen was primarily a post player at Oregon, but he said he would likely play more of a small-forward position in the NBA. When asked if he believes he has a future in the NBA, Leunen answered with conviction. “Whenever I watch TV, I feel like I can do the same type of things that other (NBA) players can do,” he said. “Obviously, I’m not going to be like LeBron James or anything like that, but I think I can have a good impact on a team, whether it be my shooting or just me understanding the game and making the right plays.” A mock NBA draft on www.collegehoopsnet.com projects Leunen as a late second-round pick, 54th overall. But Leunen is not included in the top 100 NBA draft prospects on www.espn.com. Leunen said if he goes undrafted, he will pursue the option of playing overseas. “Obviously I want to play in the NBA, but if not, I might as well experience different things while I’m young, and see what (professional basketball overseas) has to offer.” Whether he plays in the NBA or overseas, Leunen can reflect on a stellar high school and college career. Leunen led the Redmond Panthers to the Oregon big-school championship in 2003 and back to the title game in 2004. Soon after, Leunen — whose No. 11 jersey was retired last month — went on to play for the Ducks. While his college career ended last week in upsetting fashion, Leunen takes with him an impressive list of credentials from his four years at Oregon: • Second-team all-Pac-10 and the team most valuable player while averaging 15 points and nine rebounds per game as a senior. • Second all-time on Oregon’s career list in rebounds (903), and just the 25th Pac-10 player with 1,000 points and 900 rebounds. • 17th all-time in scoring for Oregon (1,259 points), seventh all-time in steals (121) and 13th all-time in three-pointers made (131). • He helped lead the Ducks into the Elite Eight of the 2007 NCAA tournament. It was a career Leunen could only dream about when he was a skinny post player for the Panthers. “It was just all hopes and dreams at that point,” Leunen recalled. “Not too many kids out of Redmond get that chance. I have lots of memories, created a lot of relationships. It was a dream to come play at a Division I program.” Leunen said it was hard to accept his college career was over after the loss to Mississippi State, in which he scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds as the Ducks hit just two of 21 three-pointers in the second half. He said he talked with fellow seniors Malik Hairston and Bryce Taylor — whom he said he will be friends with “for life” — after the game, making plans to stay in touch and perhaps cross paths again in the NBA. Hairston and Taylor are also pro prospects. “It was extremely tough, realizing that you’re no longer going to be a college athlete, no longer a student,” said Leunen, who earned his bachelor’s degree in economics last fall. “You’re going to have to be an adult and have responsibility. The four years went by fast, and reality is setting in. It was a fun four years. We did extremely well.” Leunen said he will watch some of the NCAA tournament on television and will root for fellow Pac-10 school Washington State when the Cougars take on top-seeded North Carolina today. He said he became friends with WSU players Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver when the three played together on Team USA at the Pan-American Games last summer. “I’m still a fan of the game,” Leunen said, a solemn look forming on his face. “I know it sucks, because I wish we were still in (the NCAA tournament), but that’s how it goes.” Leunen said he is currently deciding among three or four agents, and while in Eugene this weekend he will likely choose one with the help of the Oregon coaching staff. “It’s just me trying to find the best one that I feel like I can trust and help me through the decision making the next couple months,” Leunen said. Once he signs with an agent, Leunen said his focus will be on pre-draft camps. He said he has already been invited to the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational Tournament, a pre-draft camp for college seniors, set for April 9-12. But Leunen is hoping to get invited to the higher-profile NBA Pre-Draft Camp in Orlando, Fla., in late May. “This weekend will be a big weekend, with what decision I make (for an agent),” Leunen said. But for the next couple days, he added, “I’ve got to get all the golfing I can in.”
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