AT GEORGIA STATE:
All-conference guard who goes down as one of the most prolific shooters and scorers to play at Georgia State . . . Scored 1,238 points to rank sixth in Panther history . . . Became Georgia State’s first All-Colonial Athletic Association player with his selection to the third team in 2007-08, when he averaged 16 points a game.
Career three-point percentage of .400 is the second-best mark in school history . . . Ranks third in Panther annals with 167 career three-pointers . . . Stands fifth in school history in field goal attempts and eight in field goals made . . . Also ranks seventh in Panther annals with 116 career steals.
Career averages of 11.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game . . . Scored in double figures in 62 career games, including 18 games with 20 or more points.
Had three buzzer-beating shots in his career: a 33-foot three-pointer that defeated William & Mary in the 2007 CAA Tournament; a 14-foot jumper that knocked off George Mason in January 2008; and a foul-line jumper that tied the score and forced overtime against UTSA in December 2007.
Three-year starter, two-year team captain and member of the the first class of Panthers to play entire career in the Colonial Athletic Association . . . Started more games (96) in a Georgia State uniform than any player except Rodney Hamilton (105); ranks fourth in games played (113).
2008-09:
Averaged 8.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, but finished the season by averaging 12.7 points and shooting 49 percent for the last seven games . . . Had 11 double-figure scoring games, including three 20-point efforts.
Exploded for 27 points, just two off his career-high, in a win over Hofstra on Senior Night (2/25) . . . Went 9-for-14 from the field with three treys and 6-for-6 at the line.
Had 22 points and nine rebounds (tied career high) in 69-66 win over UNC Wilmington (2/14).
Chipped in 16 points (6-for-10 FG) and four rebounds against VCU (1/21) . . . Also had a strong effort with 16 points at George Mason (1/5); began the game with three straight three-pointers and finished 4-for-5 from long range . . . Scored 21 points (8-12 FG) vs. Troy.
One of 30 national nominees for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award . . . Georgia State’s nominee for the CAA Dean Ehlers Leadership Award . . . Preseason all-CAA selection.
2007-08:
All-Colonial Athletic Association third-team selection, Georgia State’s first all-CAA player . . . Finished fifth in the CAA in scoring at 16.0 ppg . . . Led or co-led State in scoring in 21 of 30 games, and reached the 20-point mark 10 times on the season . . . Ranked fourth in the CAA in three-point percentage (.405) and three-pointers per game (2.33) . . . Shot better in CAA games with a .416 accuracy rate . . . Team captain.
Named CAA Player of the Week on Jan. 7, 2008, after averaging 20 points against George Mason (1/2) and Northeastern (1/5),highlighted by his game-winning shot against the Patriots . . . Hit 14-foot jumper at the buzzer to lift Georgia State over George Mason (1/2), 66-64, giving the Panthers their biggest victory since joining the CAA . . . Also hit a trey with 1:46 left that brought State within one . . . Scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half to help State rally from 16 points down.
Scored 21 points in win over Towson (2/27). Nailed four treys and also contributed five rebounds, four assists and two steals to help the Panthers to their largest margin of victory of the season.
Hit two three-pointers in the final three minutes, one with the shot clock about to expire, against Northeastern (2/16) to help State overcome an eight-point deficit in last five minutes.
Scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half as State rallied from 10 points down for a 54-53 win at Delaware (1/26). Grabbed a defensive rebound and then hit the clinching free throw with 11.7 seconds left . . . Poured in 23 points in win over Drexel (1/30), including 10 straight in the decisive second-half run.
Scored 22 points in overtime win over UTSA (12/15), including the game-tying basket on a foul-line jumper with less than a second in regulation. Scored 10 of State’s last 12 points in the game.
Poured in a career-high 29 points in win over Troy (11/24), including 6-for-10 from three-point range. Scored 21 in the first half. Followed with 23 points and career-high five steals in win at Jacksonville (11/28) . . . Scored 20 points in a five-point loss to Georgia Tech (12/5) . . . Opened the season with 24 points (10-for-15 FG) against UAB (11/9), and also had six rebounds and three steals.
2006-07:
The CAA's best outside shooter, he led the league and set a Georgia State record with a 47.5 three-point percentage as he connected on 58-of-122 attempts from beyond the arc.
Second on the team and tied for 13th in the CAA in scoring at 13.8 point per game . . . Sixth in the league in overall field goal percentage at .487 . . . Ranked 13th in the CAA in steals with 1.3 per game . . . Averaged 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Had identical averages of 13.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in CAA games . . . Shot 50 percent from the field, including 47 percent from three-point range, in league games.
Led the team in free throw percentage at .773, hitting 58 of 75 attempts from the charity stripe . . . Scored in double figures in 24 games, including 19 of the last 21 . . . . Shot 50 percent or better from the field in 15 games.
Most memorable shot was a 33-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to win the CAA Tournament opener over William & Mary, 70-68 . . . Led the team with 17 points in that game . . . In the CAA Tournament second round vs. VCU, Mendez led the team with 22 points and nailed six three-pointers, a career-high and the most by a Panther in a tournament game.
Career-high 28 points against VCU in the regular-season finale as he hit 7-of-11 field goals and 5-of-7 treys . . . Then scored 22 against the Rams in the CAA Tournament . . . Also scored 22 points in the ESPN BracketBuster win over Elon with 9-of-14 shooting . . . Added 21 points in win against Northeastern and 20 points in victory over UNC Wilmington.
Played 40 or more minutes in five games, including 43 in overtime against UNC Wilmington and 42 in double overtime vs. Towson.
Contributed numerous other key baskets before his game-winner against William & Mary . . . In regular season finale with VCU, made two key free throws with nine seconds left to pull the Panthers within one point . . . In win over Northeastern, he spurred a run with three free throws with 4:47 to play, then made a key jumper at the 2:20 mark. When Northeastern closed to four points, he made another basket at 1:10. Then, with 46 seconds left, he made two more free throws to help secure that win . . . In overtime win at UNC Wilmington, his basket with 2:51 to play put State up 45-40; hit another basket with 50 seconds left to make it 47-45 before UNCW forced OT. In the extra session, he made another key jumper with 32 seconds left to put State up 56-51, and with two seconds left and a three-point lead, he made two free throws to secure the win . . . With the Panthers leading by five with 16 seconds to go vs. Winston-Salem State, he swished two free throws . . . Also hit a pair of key free throws when State led Towson by six with nine seconds left in double overtime.
Achieved career-high of seven rebounds in three games: at UNC Wilmington, vs. VCU and vs. William & Mary in the CAA Tournament . . . Had six or more rebounds in seven contests . . . Career-best five assists against Delaware, James Madison and Alabama State . . . Grabbed a career-high four steals against Savannah State.
2005-06:
Showed steady improvement as he ended his freshman season by starting 11 of the final 12 games (did not start on Senior Night) . . . Averaged 3.0 points per game on the season, including a 5.4-point average over the final nine contests.
Produced a pair of double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 14 points vs. Hofstra on 5-of-7 field goals, including two three-pointers . . . That followed a nine-point game vs. William & Mary on 4-of-5 field goals . . . Also reached double digits with a 10-point night at ODU on 5-of-10 shooting . . . Added seven points with a season-high four assists and two steals against NCAA Final Four bound-George Mason in the CAA Tournament . . . Averaged 5.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in two CAA Tournament games.
Shot 49 percent from the field, hitting 28-of-57 shots . . . Played a season-high 35 minutes at Old Dominion, and also topped the 30-minute mark against VCU (32) and Hofstra (32).
HIGH SCHOOL:
A two-year starter and double-figure scorer for Campbell High in the Atlanta suburb of Smyrna . . . Averaged 19.4 points with four assists and four rebounds a game as a senior . . . Coached by James Gwynn . . . One of his top games was a 25-point effort against rival South Cobb . . . Averaged 17,8 points for his career . . . In AAU basketball, played two years with the World Wide Renegades . . . An excellent student with 3.2 grade point average.
PERSONAL:
Leonard D. Mendez . . . Born August 6, 1987, in Neptune, N.J. . . . Son of Tehesha Spann . . . Moved to Atlanta in 1997 . . . Oldest of four children and has two brothers, Derrick and Thomas, and a sister, Destiny . . . Finance major in Georgia State’s highly-regarded Robinson College of Business . . . Basketball team representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council for 2007-08 . . . One of 30 national nominees for the 2009 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award . . . Georgia State’s nominee for the 2009 CAA Dean Ehlers Leadership Award . . . Scheduled to graduate in May 2009.
CAREER STATISTICS:
| Season |
G-GS |
Min |
Avg |
FG- |
FGA |
Pct |
3P- |
3PA |
Pct |
FT- |
FTA |
Pct |
O- |
D- |
Reb |
Avg |
Ast |
Bl |
St |
Pts |
Avg |
| 2005-06 |
21-11 |
267 |
12.7 |
28 |
57 |
.491 |
5 |
16 |
.313 |
2 |
4 |
.500 |
5 |
13 |
18 |
0.9 |
17 |
0 |
8 |
63 |
3.0 |
| 2006-07 |
30-29 |
1069 |
35.6 |
149 |
306 |
.487 |
58 |
122 |
.475 |
58 |
75 |
.773 |
24 |
100 |
124 |
4.1 |
64 |
14 |
39 |
414 |
13.8 |
| 2007-08 |
30-29 |
1031 |
34.4 |
173 |
399 |
.434 |
70 |
173 |
.405 |
65 |
94 |
.691 |
27 |
80 |
107 |
3.6 |
39 |
4 |
38 |
481 |
16.0 |
| 2008-09 |
32-27 |
888 |
27.8 |
105 |
262 |
.401 |
34 |
106 |
.321 |
36 |
45 |
.800 |
24 |
69 |
93 |
2.9 |
44 |
6 |
31 |
280 |
8.8 |
| Total |
113-96 |
3255 |
28.8 |
455 |
1024 |
.444 |
167 |
417 |
.400 |
161 |
218 |
.739 |
80 |
262 |
342 |
3.0 |
164 |
24 |
116 |
1238 |
11.0 |
