Kelly Leszcynski returned to the basketball court last season after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee as a Bloomsburg University sophomore.
Her confidence has caught up to her physical recovery this season, leading to the best play of her college career.
Leszcynski, a Nazareth High graduate, has seized a leading role in the Huskies’ rotation as a redshirt junior. She is averaging a team-high 31.2 minutes per game and is one of four players scoring in double figures (10.3 points per game) during Bloomsburg’s 4-2 start.
“I think we’re playing solid as a team, and it’s a lot of team basketball,” Leszcynski said by phone Monday. “Everyone’s contributing. It’s not just 1 or 2 people.
“I think we’re doing pretty good.”
Bloomsburg coach Alison Tagliaferri has enjoyed watching a confident Leszcynski again. Leszcynski was named the PSAC East freshman of the year in 2022-23 when she played in 18 games (10 starts). She averaged 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game despite missing time with knee problems.
The torn ACL she suffered during an offseason team trip to Italy cost her all of the 2023-24 season. While she returned and played in all 30 games in 2024-25, she dealt with the typical ups and downs that come after a major injury. That included an October 2024 procedure to remove excess scar tissue.
“The biggest thing was just the year off from playing,” Leszcynski said. “A lot of my lateral movements were slower because of the surgery and getting back to where it was before. So I guess that took a little bit of a toll on my confidence.”
Leszcynski followed the 2024-25 basketball season by jumping into her spring track and field season. Her weight-room dedication during the spring helped her win the NCAA Division II national championship in the javelin.
That track and field success gave Leszcynski reassurance that she had returned to peak form. It has translated to the basketball court.
“Every aspect of her game I think is different,” Tagliaferri said. “To me, a lot of that is just mental. She’s physically stronger, yes, but she just has more confidence. I always say to them, ‘Confident people are prepared people.’
“She’s just done the work to put herself in that kind of realm with being prepared.”
Leszcynski’s increased playing time this season has come while she has adjusted to spending more time playing point guard. She ran the point throughout her time at Nazareth but spent most of her first two seasons at Bloomsburg playing off the ball.
Leszcynski is averaging a team-best 5.2 assists per game and has a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio. She is also shooting a career-best 44.4 percent from the field.
“Getting back into the role, it’s coming easier than I thought it would,” Leszcynski said. “There’s definitely things I’m still learning. Being a college point guard is a lot different than being a high school point guard. But each day I feel like I’m getting more and more confident in that role too.”
Leszcynski and Bloomsburg have a break from basketball games this week while students take fall semester finals. The Huskies jump back into PSAC play next week.
When they do, they’ll be looking to move past dropping their conference opener. Leszcynski would like to see Bloomsburg show a renewed focus on following scouting reports and improving their defense.
Play similar to what Leszcynski has provided through six games will help.
“I wasn’t sure how that [playing Leszcynski at point guard more often] was going to go, but she’s really done a great job at it, especially from the assist standpoint,” Tagliaferri said. “I actually get a little nervous sometimes, because I don’t want to pigeon-hole her in that position, because I do think it takes away her scoring ability.
“She can score. But her and Ava [Stevenson] have done a good job sharing that spot.”
Hurley heats up: After starting slowly with her 3-point shooting, Kutztown senior guard Leila Hurley heated up when December started.
Hurley, a Jim Thorpe graduate, drilled 12-of-24 3-point attempts in two games last week. Eight of her 3s came Dec. 1, when she scored a career-high 26 points against Wilmington.
Hurley made only two 3-pointers in her first four games this season. She’s up to 135 career 3s while shooting 36.3 percent from the arc.
Tip-ins: Central Catholic graduate Liam Joyce has started every game for undefeated Randolph-Macon (6-0 overall), which is ranked No. 2 in the D3hoops.com national poll. He averaged 11 points and 4.5 rebounds last week in wins over Hampden-Sydney (No. 8 in the nation last week) and Roanoke (No. 14). … Moravian sophomore guard Megan Elias (Easton) is averaging 7.6 points in 25.4 minutes per game after appearing in only five games as a freshman. She has started all seven games for the Greyhounds (2-5 overall).