Montreal guard joins Versyp's '17 class
On her official visit this weekend, Leony Boudreau found what she feels like is a perfect match.
And so before leaving campus Monday, the 5-foot-9 Canadian combo guard told Sharon Versyp that she wanted to become part of the 2017 class. With her commitment, she joins forwards Dani Lawson and Tamara Farquhar, a teammate at Dawson College in Montreal, in the group.
“The first thing that I observed was the family atmosphere, how people cared about each other,” said Boudreau, who will major in biomedical engineering at Purdue, with education being of upmost importance in her recruitment. “How they are all into the same things, want the same goals. That was so impressive for me.
“It was also a perfect match in academics and athletics. I just want to reach excellence, be excellent in every part of your life. That’s going to be the perfect match for me.”
Boudreau picked the Boilermakers among more than a dozen other offers, with Akron and Delaware, where she had also taken official visits, being the other two finalists. The Boilermakers won out.
“In every part of my life, I want to be the best, so I think Purdue has that mentality as well,” said the 19-year-old Boudreau. “So that’s why I thought it was perfect for me.”
Boudreau and Farquhar played together at Dawson College, a CEGEP in Montreal, perhaps akin to an American prep school, although in Quebec, the post-high school education is a requirement for university.
And it’s given Boudreau a couple more years of development.
“Since I was young, people looked as me as a hard worker,” she said. “I led by example. But now, with Trevor Williams, my coach at Dawson, he’s wanted me since my freshman year to be the voice of the team, the leader of the team, so I’ve been developing that since I was there. So now I’m a more vocal leader.
“That’s the first thing I would say. But my versatility, because I can play the point and the 2/3 as well. And I can defend, being around 5-10 and strong, as well, so I can defend different positions and play them on offense, as well.”
Purdue started recruiting Farquhar first, but in doing so, couldn’t help but also notice Boudreau. And after an summer event in Washington D.C., Versyp’s level of interest went up, Boudreau said, and it was then that Purdue became a player in her recruitment. But she said she tried not to let Farquhar’s decision — she chose Purdue 11 days ago over Michigan State and others — be too big an influence.
“We have a great relationship together and I think we complement each other very well on and off the court,” Boudreau said. “Of course, it was great that we found our match at the same school, but I knew from the beginning that it was a good match for her, but I didn’t want it to influence my decision. I wanted to make my own choice and own aspects and see if it was a good school. Because it could be a good school for her, but not necessarily for someone else.
“It is awesome that it turns out that we have found a great school; we’ve been playing together since five years ago, so it’s good that we can continue that relationship together at Purdue and help them reach excellence.”
Membership Information: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2016. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.