Howard Bison signs Talented Twin Towers--Leary and Boyomo

Howard University signee Alphonso Leary, Maury H.S. (#13) dunks over Kecoughtan's Buster Tucker (32) and Dimitri Batten (4) in the fourth quarter, Feb. 27, 2010, during an Eastern Region semifinal at The Scope in Norfolk. Maury won 66-62.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – It did not take Coach Kevin Nickelberry long to show that he is on a mission to take the Howard University men’s basketball program to the next level. Nickelberry, who has been on the job less that than two months, addressed one of the team’s biggest needs by announcing the signing of Alphonso Leary to a national letter of intent and Theodore Boyomo to a written offer of financial aid.

Leary is a 6-10, 200-pound center from Maury High School in Norfolk, VA who will help fill the void left by three Bison frontcourt players who graduated this past May. Leary averaged 11.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while leading his team to a 22-8 record and the Eastern District Tournament championship. He recorded a career-high 24 points against Lake Taylor and was an All-Eastern District first team selection.

“I have been recruiting Alphonso for the past three years and he has grown and gotten better each time I have seen him,” said Nickelberry. “We are excited about his potential and what he brings to the program.”

A native of Yaounde, Cameroon, "Theo" Boyomo (#13) arrived at Kent in the fall of 2007 as a 16-year-old sophomore and quickly made his mark as not just an outstanding athlete but a superb citizen and student as well. With a 7’2” wingspan and tremendous athleticism, he has been widely recognized as the top defensive player in the region and was heavily recruited by high-profile Division I basketball programs, but also by Ivy League schools as well.

Boyomo is a 6-9, 225-pound senior from the Kent School in Kent, Ct. He was heavily recruited but Nickelberry was able to win out over such competitors as Canisius, Siena, Rutgers, Texas A&M, Colorado and Washington. Boyomo established himself as one of the premier defensive big men in the New England region and helped the Kent School to new heights, culminating with a Western New England championship this past March.

Boyomo was named to the New England All Defensive 1st Team as a center/forward. The big man is as college ready of a defensive anchor as there is in New England. He does it all on this end of the floor with the size and strength to guard opposing low post scorers without help on the block, the mobility and timing to erase teammate’s mistakes with his help-side shot blocking, and nose for the ball to finish plays by cleaning up the glass. On offense, he consistently makes the elbow jumper and has a reliable jump hook and up-and-under counter move in his arsenal with his back to the basket. Theo has a great NBA type frame, which should blow up with a serious weight lifting program at Howard. He led Kent to a 20-5 record his senior season and the Western New England championship.

An outstanding student, Boyomo finished as an honor roll student for six straight academic terms, despite having to learn English upon his arrival at the Kent School, Connecticut.

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