It's no secret that Marcedus Leech has impressed the likes of fans, opposing coaches and players during his past two basketball seasons at Poplar Bluff.
The soon-to-be junior, who is averaging 18.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Mules, is still focused on ending his career with Poplar Bluff on a high note.
But as he prepares for his final two seasons, Leech is catching the attention of two Hall of Fame coaches and nearly every major Division I college program in the nation.
Last month, Leech was invited for unofficial visits to two of the premier programs in the nation -- Kentucky and Louisville.
His first stop took him to Lexington. Head coach John Calipari was in Egypt coaching the United State's U19 team in the 2017 FIBA World Cup, so assistant coach Joel Justus was tasked with playing host to a big-time Class of 2019 visiting prospect two weeks ago.
Calipari might not have been there, but Justus made a strong case on his behalf.
Following his visit, Leech -- the nation's No. 21-ranked player from the Class of 2019 according to 247 Sports -- said he's got some more perspective on where Kentucky ranks.
"It was great. There is lot of tradition there and the arena was the most impressing thing to me," Leech said of Kentucky and Rupp Arena. "I was honored and humbled to even be on campus. Kentucky is the place where a lot of NBA players have come from and I was just grateful to be there."
Justus had a clear and concise message for Leech while in Lexington. Much of it was music to his ears.
"He talked about what kind of players Kentucky and coach Cal are looking for and that they really like guards," Leech said. "He said the goal at Kentucky is to win championships and make the pros and they only recruit players that have the potential to be a pro. That statement made me feel good."
It's easy to understand why that would be a flattering statement, especially given Kentucky and Calipari's track record of actually producing those professional players to back the statement up.
In his first eight seasons at Kentucky, Calipari has helped an astonishing 31 players reach the NBA. He is also the only coach who has guided four No. 1 overall selections, Derrick Rose (at Memphis), John Wall, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns. He's also the only coach to have five first-round selections in the same NBA Draft (2010) and the only coach to have six players taken in one NBA Draft in the modern two-round era (2012 and 2015).
But the statement made Leech feel even better because of the difficulties he's experienced recently, namely the stress fractures in his legs that kept him sidelined for much of the 2016-17 season. Through yoga, Pilates and upper body workouts, Leech said he's getting "close to 100 percent." The big-time schools are eager to see what he can do with that full potential.
"I've been out with an injury all summer, so with a prestigious place like Kentucky showing some attention it's truly humbling," he said. "Coach (Justus) said they've seen me twice but that they will be at my high school preseason workouts and at a tournament this year."
On his way to Lexington, Leech got another surprising call from the Wildcats' in-state rival.
"As we were on our way to Kentucky I got a call from Louisville," Leech said. "They said, 'We heard you were on your way up to Lexington and how bout on your way back to Poplar Bluff you stop through Louisville because we'd love to have you.' It was a nice day especially since I haven't played all summer and missed a lot of last year and they're still showing interest."
Leech toured campus, talked to assistant coaches and got a feel for the Louisville program, which has won three national championships.
The 6 foot, 6 inch guard has offers from Kansas, Iowa State, Miami, Missouri, New Mexico State, Saint Louis, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Washington, Wichita State, LSU and more. Kentucky and Louisville haven't offered yet but there's been obvious interest.
Leech also said he likes everything about the two schools he visited most recently, including their pace and what each coach does with his players. Leech said he won't make a college decision until after his high school career has concluded, and is focused on one thing in particular.
"I haven't put too much thought into where I'm going yet because I've still got a long way to go," Leech said. "I'm grateful and happy that so many coaches and programs are interested in me, but my bottom line right now is focusing on getting healthy and getting back on the court so I can play they way I know how to play."