Leilani McIntosh feels she was led to Cal
The latest addition to the Cal women’s basketball program is 2019 point guard Leilani McIntosh out of Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, Arizona. McIntosh was previously committed to Pepperdine, but due to a coaching change went back on the open market and shortly thereafter committed to the Golden Bears. McIntosh caught up with GoldenBearReport.com about her decision process and what she hopes to bring to the Cal program.
For McIntosh, seeing DeLisha Milton-Jones leave her head coaching job at Pepperdine to be an assistant at Syracuse was really tough. While she understands it’s part of the business, it was really hard for McIntosh to leave behind the strong relationships she built with Milton and her coaching staff. While it was not an easy thing to do, McIntosh felt it was in her best interest to ask for her release from Pepperdine and re-evaluate her options. When Cal came knocking, McIntosh saw it as divine providence.
“It was a really tough blow hearing the news of the coaching change,” McIntosh said. “I respect Coach Delisha’s decision and wish her nothing but the best! I just think God works in mysterious ways and led me to Cal. Coach April and Charmin have both followed me throughout my club seasons and it just felt right committing to someone I was familiar with. I’m just excited for this new opportunity and making an impact on the Cal program!”
Touching more on her relationship with assistant coach April Philips and head coach Charmin Smith, McIntosh said they did a great job at making her feel at home.
“They were both just so welcoming and I really felt the connection off the bat, that they truly care about me,” McIntosh said. “Coach April has been recruiting me since her time at LMU where we first started to gain that connection. Coach Charmin has so much background in the game that can help me get to my full potential!”
In regard to reaching her full potential, McIntosh thinks her ability to run an offense and work ethic will make a big impact on the Cal program. She really prides herself on making the right basketball play and putting the team first.
“I’m gonna bring my hard work ethic and leadership to the court,” McIntosh said with excitement. “Using my IQ to facilitate the offense and not only that but have lock down defense. Trying to help my team win any way I can! I’m looking to improve my voice, just being louder but sending the right message to my teammates. Communication is key to winning and I think I can get better at that.”
While some players are worried about playing time, McIntosh is only focused on doing her part to help the team win. So long as she does that, she’ll be happy.
“I’m not worried about playing time,” McIntosh said. “If I get a lot of playing time or not, that has never been a factor for me. I know as long as I do my job when I get on the floor no matter if it’s for 10 minutes or 10 seconds, I’m excited to be contributing to my team and helping us win any way I can.”
By committing to Cal, McIntosh is also committing to the Pac-12, which is one of top conferences in women’s college basketball. Night in night out, it’s a dog fight and McIntosh knows that she’ll have to bring her A-game every night. This challenge excites her and has her all the more motivated to get out on the court and improve her craft.
“I’ve always loved the Pac-12 growing up,” McIntosh said. “There is a lot of good teams in this conference and I’m excited to be going against someone of the best every night! I think it will make me better as a player and to be the underdog in most games motivates me to push myself even harder!”
As for the student side of things, McIntosh is looking forward to being at a world class university like Cal. On top of that, she’s looking forward to the life skills she’ll learn from being on her own and having to gain more independence.
“I love the academic side of things,” McIntosh said. “I come from a private school that has prepared me for any situation I go into. I think I wouldn’t have a problem continuing my academic career in such an amazing academic university! Just learning how to be independent and living on my own. Being a college student can help prepare me for the real world where I’ll have to live by myself.”
When looking at how this all came together, it really does seem like Cal is the right place for Leilani McIntosh to be at. She’s reunited with coaches that she really likes and gets an opportunity to get a world class education. When one door closes, another one opens. That certainly appears to be what happened here.