“I sat down with him and said, ‘Luis, what are you thinking?’” Byrnes said. “He said, ‘Coach, I’ve gone through enough, listened to enough people, and I want to go to St. Michael’s.’ I said ‘OK, give it a week to let it sink in.’ We called the coach at 5 p.m. yesterday and gave him the news.”

Leao is currently averaging nine points and seven rebounds per game in roughly 20-21 minutes of action. The Green Wave are coming off a weekend in which they beat Notre Dame Prep (94-88) and Lee Academy (94-55) over a two-day span in the IAABO Board 44 Classic, in Fitchburg.

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Had the chance to catch up with another familiar Winchendon face – former Avon star and Globe Super Teamer Akeem Williams – at the Hoophall. Here’s some excerpts of what he had to say.

Q: Tell me about your initial experience in a new environment?
A: My first game here, I was out of shape. I thought I was the best, so coming here took my confidence down a little bit. Coach [Byrnes] holds you accountable for everything.

Q: How much of an ego check has it been?
A: Big ego check. Every game, your confidence can go from being on top of the world to being on the bottom.

Q: During your run with Kevin Miranda at Avon, the Panthers were known more for their frenetic pace and LMU-style of offense; and not so much – how do you say? – jump shots. How have you improved on the latter?
A: [laughing] During the summer, I worked on it a lot. I knew if I was going to be successful in this program, I was going to have to make a few jump shots. That’s been a big difference here.

Q: Are you surprised with how many minutes you’re getting (roughly 20-25) considering all the talent you’re competing with (four Division 1 commits, including Kansas State-bound Jordan Henriquez)?
A: Very surprised. I think I was one of the last guys to make it onto the roster, so I didn’t think I was going to get a lot of minutes. But coach told me coming into the season, ‘Work hard, and you’ll play’.

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Also had the chance to check in this week with the folks at Worcester Academy. The Hilltoppers are loaded this season with five D1 commits, led by forwards Blake McLimons (Michigan), Ben Crenca (Vermont) and Daymon Warren (George Washington). Gabe Kindred (Loyola-Chicago) and DeShawn Dockery can do some damage in the backcourt, and senior Austin Carroll – son of former Celtics head man John Carroll – can shoot with the best of them.

The Hilltoppers lost a tough one to South Kent (86-77) last Wednesday (“Against a team with that kind of athleticism, we’ve got trust each other a little more,” head coach Ed Reilly said), and an even tougher one last Saturday to Class A heavyweight Brewster Academy. But come NEPSAC tournament time, this should be a team rearing to go.