There were big performances early and even bigger ones late. There were his thunderous dunks, improved perimeter shooting and lockdown defense. Whatever was asked of Leroy (Truck) Fludd, he obliged.
Boys & Girls’ senior forward enjoyed a fairy tale senior season. He led PSAL Brooklyn AA in scoring and rebounding. He guided the Kangaroos to their third straight PSAL Class AA city title and their first New York State Federation Class AA crown.
“I imagined us completing every goal we wanted to,” he said of his hopes back in November, “and that’s what we did.”
Most impressively, the 6-foot-4 wing, nicknamed Truck because he is built like one, was remarkably consistent at both ends of the floor. He often guarded the opposition’s best player, he produced even when not shooting well and he remained one of the city’s top finishers.
“Every big-name player on every big-name team I felt he outplayed them,” Boys High coach Ruth Lovelace said. “He knocked off all these guys off he was compared to.”
His value was clear over the weekend as Boys High was on its first state title. Fludd did a litte bit of everything. He guarded St. Raymond’s Division I-bound duo Kerwin Okoro and Daniel Dingle and scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds himself. In the final, he exploded for 25 points, showing off a nice touch from the perimeter and throwing down a few explosive slams.
Soft spoken and quiet off the court, Fludd has said he just tries to play his hardest, harder than his opponent. Few spent as much time working on their game over the offseason as Fludd. Knowing he would be counted on more with the Kangaroos losing four starters, he dedicated himself to developing a consistent jump shot and improving his ball handling to go along with his rugged inside game. He did very little traveling on the AAU circuit.
“His game came full-circle,” Lovelace said. “He’s an all-around player now. … He has the best all-around game [in the city].”
His future is uncertain. Lovelace said Providence, Kent State, St. John’s, Arizona, South Carolina and Alabama have inquired about Fludd, but he isn’t qualified to play Division I basketball as of yet. He took the SATs on March 10 and needs to finish strong in the classroom. Prep school remains an option.
Fludd took a lot of heat when he opted to transfer to Boys & Girls after one year at Grady, a Coney Island kid going Lincoln’s fierce rival. At the time, Boys High was in the midst of a 30-year title drought. He leaves with enough hardware to a large room.
“I think I made a better decision coming to Boys & Girls,” he said.
He has the rings to prove it.