Competitive drive pushes South Fayette senior
Leroux scores 1,000 points
Juliette Leroux developed the speed and quickness that vexes opponents on the basketball court as a means of survival.
“I’ve always grown up in an athletic family. Being active. Eating healthy. High energy and competing with my siblings over the tiniest things.
“My sister chased me around the house a lot,” Leroux continued. “So I had to be fast.”
Leroux added that the compilation of her childhood adventures enabled her to become the player and person she is today. They also determine her future.
“Competition realistically allows you to accomplish future aspirations. It’s the nature of jobs. It’s what employers like to see in employees. I’ve been around competition 24/7. If you are not competing, then you are losing out because you are not pushing yourself every day to become your best.”
Currently, Leroux rates among the best to have played basketball at South Fayette High School.
A multi-district champion and PIAA state winner, having been named the Player of the Game in last year’s Class 5A final, Leroux ranks among the leading scorers in the WPIAL this winter with a 17.2-point average.
“Since her freshman year, Juju has continued to develop her skills. She is driven to improve and consistently puts in the work at practice each day,” said South Fayette head coach Bryan Bennett. “By continually adding new elements to her game, she has established herself as one of the top players in the state.
Leroux sets herself apart from her peers, says Bennett, because of her offensive versatility.
“She has the ability to score at all three levels. If you close out hard on her, she can blow past defenders and finish at the rim; if you sag off, she’ll confidently knock down the three.”
Bennett continued regarding Leroux and the legacy she’s leaving on South Fayette basketball
“Juju has done the little things for us,” he said. “She is defending and rebounding at an elite level. She works incredibly hard to get open on the offensive end and is always willing to make the extra pass to her teammates when they have a better look.”
On Jan. 10, however, Leroux had the best looks, not to mention the touch. She exploded for a career-high 31 points to lead the Lady Lions to victory, 70-32, against Norwin, which won the 2024 WPIAL Class 6A title. She finished with five, 3-point field goals, including the final one with 1:31 to play that enabled her to reach the 1,000-point milestone in her career.
“This is definitely the highest honor I received,” Leroux said. “It’s incredibly hard to achieve and an extreme goal.”
Only two other times in her career did Leroux score 30 or more points. Once occurred during an AAU contest, when she poured in 40 points for SLAAM. During the Archbishop Hoban Tournament held recently in Ohio, when the Lady Lions upended the host club, 75-65, Leroux fired in 30 points.
“I didn’t know if I could hit 30 again but I talked to my dad. I needed 31 points and I wanted to do it at home. He said, ‘try your best’ and ‘prove yourself wrong.’ My teammates kept feeding me the ball and I was extremely hot that game.”
In follow-up games, where she scored 14 points on the road against Mars, 92-36, on Jan. 15, and 18 points in a win against West Allegheny, 76-38, on Jan. 19, Leroux finds it incredulous that she is in an elite club at South Fayette.
“I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Leroux said. “My name is going to be on that (1,000-point) banner forever. It’s crazy.”
Maddie Webber was one of those monikers. After a two-year stint at Villanova, Webber is averaging 11.3 points for the University of Illinois.
“I always looked up to Maddie,” Leroux said. “Now, I hope other young girls look up to me.”
All her life, Leroux has always looked up to her sister and not because Ava stands 6 feet, 4 inches tall. Ava, like Leroux, played basketball and volleyball in high school before matriculating to Elon University. Ava suffered adversity from a serious car accident to nagging injuries, but is now thriving and playing basketball at Robert Morris University.
“Ava messed up her ankle. Then she had a bone infection. She just had her wisdom teeth removed,” Leroux said.
“Ava is the strongest person I know. I look up to her a lot. She’s been extremely influential. We also competed against each other and whether I had a tough practice or game, she would always tell me to keep my head up and think positively.”
Leroux added that Ava enabled her to keep an upbeat outlook during the recruiting process. She coached her on ‘what to say’ and ‘what to ask’ coaches who called her. There were many, including those from Colgate, Brown, Cornell, Boston, Eastern Michigan, Iona, LaFayette, William and Mary, Massachusetts, Delaware, Cleveland State and St. Bonaventure.
Leroux committed to Florida Atlantic, which is located in Boca Raton. She plans to major in health science with the expectation of becoming a physician’s assistant or a nurse anesthetist.
“It’s going to be different,” Leroux said. “The pace is very fast and the game is on a different level because of the height of the girls. Most all of them are over six feet, built and strong. It’s going to be fun but a big adjustment.”
One of the hardest adaptations for Leroux will be a life without volleyball. She earned four letters playing the sport and also competed in the WPIAL championships.
“Basketball is my No. 1 love but volleyball will always have a place in my heart,” she said. “It was tough but always fun and came natural to me. So it will be hard to give up.
Leroux also noted that Ava was most influential for her in that sport, too.
“I always wanted to follow in her footsteps,” she said.
Because of their height, the sisters played at the behest of a teacher friend of their mother, Lori. Leroux developed into a standout middle hitter and the skills she acquired, such as jumping, were “interchangeable” with basketball.
“I love hitting for volleyball. If I’m really angry, I can slam it down,” Leroux said. “It’s my chill sport.
“Basketball is more complex,” she added. “You are thinking more. There are so many parts going on, like offense, defense, rebounding. You have to put them into a bunch of different compartments.
“So many good things have happened with basketball,” she continued. “It’s been really rewarding.”
While especially gratifying, accomplishments, like 1,000 points, do not come without an abundance of work and teamwork.
“Juju scoring 1,000 points is an impressive accomplishment,” Bennett said. “It’s a clear testament to her durability, consistency, and commitment over time. Reaching that milestone requires not only talent, but also a strong work ethic. It highlights the impact she has had on her team and her growth as a player.”
Leroux agreed. “It is a big milestone,” she emphasized but I could not have done it without a supportive team. I feel like we have such an unselfish team. We are all extremely talented but we share everything.”
South Fayette’s camaraderie extends beyond the basketball court. After practices, the players go out and eat together. They enjoy runs to Starbucks, Sincerely Yogurt, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Chipotle.
“On and off the court we have this connection. We laugh a lot. We don’t get mad at each other. We are friends outside of sports. I think that’s really important and why we have been so successful.”
Undefeated in section action and 6-1 overall, the Lady Lions appear on their way to another championship season. They have won four section titles in a row and were WPIAL Class 5A champions for three straight seasons before losing last year to Peters Township. They won the first state title in girls basketball history last March when they topped powerhouse Archbishop Wood, 45-37, at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Leroux sees the Lady Lions achieving their goals of defending their state title and regaining supremacy in the WPIAL.
“We have a lot of talent and we hope to go all the way this year. I am excited for the team and what the future holds because our coach is so good, especially with film sessions, and the players have a good attitude. We are playing well. Doing the little things, like rebounding and defending. Scoring isn’t everything. There are other ways than scoring to win games.”
Mentality and psychology play roles, too. That is why Leroux feels South Fayette’s loss to Miami Country Day School, 56-54, on Dec. 27 in the Tampa Bay Invitational benefits the team.
“They humbled us for sure,” she said. “We learned lessons that allow you to only go up from there. You need to remember that feeling and use that anger to fuel you.
“Some of the teams we play are good and they will put up a good fight. So we have to be prepared. Bring our A game and stay on it each game.”
Juliette Leroux
Info Box:
Who is she: South Fayette High School senior who recently scored her 1,000th career point in basketball
Age: 18
Birthdate: Sept. 27
Parents: Francois and Lori
Siblings: Ava and Quinn
Sports: Basketball, volleyball
GPA: 4.1
College choice: Florida Atlantic University
Major: Health Science.
Career: “I’m hoping to become a physician’s assistant or a nurse anesthetist.”
Color: Pink
Food: Seafood. “I love scallops and shrimp.”
Restaurant: Saga Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in Robinson
Music: Sisqó “I do love country music, too.”
Book: “Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas. “I’m on the third book in the series.”
Athlete: Dallas Wings point guard Paige Bueckers
If you could have dinner with anybody, dead or alive, who would it be: Kevin Hart or Dwayne Johnson
Saying: Everything happens for a reason. I say that at least once a day.
Life lesson sports has taught you: Not to give up when things get hard. “We all have bad practices and bad days. You can’t let them get in your head and make you spiral. Don’t give up. You will come out on top.”
Guilty pleasure: Tanning “I love to tan. I start in March. In the winter I get so pale. People ask me if I’m okay because I look like I’m ill.”
People might be surprised to know this about you: My brother and I are twins. It’s great sharing birthdays and some of the same things. He plays volleyball too. But we have two separate lives. It’s cool being a twin. We have twin telepathy; like whenever one of us is walking in a door and the other walking out, and we’re thinking the same thing.”