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The High 5 Athlete for Friday, Jan. 12, is awarded to Braintree High basketball star Jade Leitao (pictured, right).
SportsCenter 5's Mike Lynch knows a hoop star when he sees one, and this senior a pure scorer who is averaging almost 21 points and 7 rebounds per game. And last Friday night, on her home court, Leitao joined the pantheon of great scorers in the Bay State by eclipsing the 1,000-point plateau, on a vintage pull-up 3-pointer.
"She's the consummate basketball player," Braintree coach Nick Krot said. "She's the first to the gym and the last to leave. No one is more deserving than her."
She comes from good stock, as her uncle Dave was a former star and later coach at Northeastern Univeristy, who is now currently the associate head coach to his former NU coach, Jim Calhoun, at national powerhouse Connecticut. And her mother, who has constantly pushed her on and off the court, is a fine basketball player herself.
But Leitao is far from a one-dimensional athlete, as she is also an Honor Roll student and a member of the French National Honor Society. She has already accepted a full scholarship to play at the University of Delaware next fall.
When asked what was the best part of scoring her 1,000th point, Leitao replied, "Winning. That's all I care about."
High 5, a weekly look at a Massachusetts high school athlete, is in its 16th year of providing Channel 5 viewers an indepth look at one of the Bay State's finest. Check here every week to see who Mike Lynch picks to win this week's award.
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