Sooner Profile: Omar Leary

Omar Leary \| Basketball \| Senior \| 5-11 \| 173
	Birthdate: December 3, 1986 Parents: Ray and Deidre Leary Hometown: Portland, Ore. High School: Lincoln Major: Human Relations Multimedia View Interview \| Photo Gallery \| Bio

NORMAN, Okla. -- In a big man's game, it would be easy for a guy who stands only 5'11" to get lost in the shadows. That hasn't been the case for Omar Leary.

Yes, he is the shortest player on the OU men's basketball team, but Leary's contributions have been anything but minimal. And while his numbers may not jump out at you, he has been a consistent role player throughout his two years in Norman.

Leary's teammates paid him the ultimate compliment at the beginning of the season when they voted him one of the most respected players on the roster. It was a testament to his work ethic, knowledge of the game and willingness to do whatever he can to help the team reach its ultimate goal.

You see, playing Division I basketball has been a dream come true in itself for Leary. That is not the ultimate dream, however. His ambitions are nothing short of winning a national championship.

On being the smallest guy on the team:
"I always get the jokes from the guys but it's all in fun. It really started to hit me that I was a lot shorter than a lot of the guys once I got to this level. In high school and junior college, even though I'm 5-11, I really wasn't too much shorter than a lot of the other players. Once I got here amongst the giants is when I really realized that I might be kind of short for the game of basketball."

On whether he has felt the need to prove himself because of his size:
"I never felt that way. I never felt the pressure of having to prove myself. It was always just going out there and playing my game. It was never something that stuck out to me until I got here. Once I got here, everyone was faster, more athletic, stronger and could jump higher, so as a shorter player you have to figure out how to get your game going and do things on the court that are weaknesses for those bigger guys. There are some advantages to being shorter, and of course advantages to being taller."

On the advantages of being a shorter player:
"Speed has really helped my game a lot. And being lower to the ground, you have more of a base to where you're under control a bit more. Also, you don't want to leave your feet in the game of basketball. You can get caught in the air making passes or having to take a shot, so being close to the ground gives you more control, as opposed to being taller where your dribble can get away from you at times."

On the dream of playing at the Division I level:
"It's been amazing. The route that I took here wasn't your typical Division I route. I didn't qualify out of high school with my SATs and had to do the junior college route. I really got my academics together there and it turned out great for me. I was first team Junior College All-American and it gave me the opportunity to play here. It was a dream come true. I always wanted to play at a major Division I basketball program and it's just been a blessing to me. Regardless of some of the ups and downs, I wouldn't trade it for the world and it's going to make me a better person when I do go out there in the real world."

On how much he has learned about himself throughout the whole process:
"It's been very humbling. At times you can come in and be kind of full of yourself, just really thinking that you're invincible and it's always going to work out for you. My journey here from playing to not playing, starting to not starting and things like that, it's just been really humbling. I never take anything for granted anymore. I've been "the man" on the team before, and now I am a role player so you see everything from the other end of the spectrum. It just gives you a humbling feeling knowing that it can change at any moment and just to be grateful that you're here."

On how he has embraced his role on the team:
"A lot. Regardless, at this point in the season, it's no time to be pouting. It's no time to be into yourself thinking you should be playing more or doing this or doing that. It's really about what you can do to help this team get to where we want to go which is a national championship."

On the overall experience here at Oklahoma:
"It definitely is a family atmosphere but it's also a comedy show. We have a lot of jokesters on the team from the coaching staff to the players. It always keeps you loose regardless of what the stakes are. These are your brothers. Once you leave here and go on to do whatever you may do, you're not going to have the same relationships that you have here. You really want to hold on to those and keep in touch with all the guys here because everyone came from a different background and has gone through different things once they got here. We're all here together and we're all pulling for each other and want the best for each other."

On how important it is to have that light attitude:
"It's very important. Coming into this year we had a lot of media hype. I think we have lived up to those expectations and with that has just come the loose attitude. We're not taking anything for granted and come to work trying to get better every day. That's helped us a lot because we haven't really felt the pressure of where we're ranked or anything like that. We're just focused on the task at hand which is taking it one game at a time."

On how he would script the end of his college career:
"Undefeated finish from here on out. A Big 12 Championship would be great. Hopefully we can get a little help from Kansas so we can get that regular season championship. Then hopefully just carry that momentum into the NCAA Tournament. Once you get there, anybody can win it. That's the great thing about college basketball. Hopefully everyone believes we can. I sure believe we can do it and we have a terrific fan base around here pulling for us. When we talk about dreams coming true, that would be a dream come true. When you're outside when you're little, you do think about hitting the game-winning shot and things like that, so for it to be a reality and actually be in your grasp, it's amazing in itself already."

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