RICHMOND, Ky. – Jason McLeish went from playing basketball in the parks of Queens, New York to the biggest stage in all of college hoops ... the NCAA Tournament.

McLeish played at EKU from 2004-06. The 6-1 guard was one of the heroes of the 2004-05 team that won the OVC Tournament and played Kentucky in the first round of 'March Madness'. He memorably held Kentucky star Patrick Sparks scoreless in the Colonels' near upset of the Wildcats.

As a senior in 2005-06, McLeish was voted first team All-OVC after averaging 17.8 points-per-game and shooting nearly 48 percent from three-point range.

Following graduation, McLeish enjoyed a successful professional career overseas and in the states. Now, he is back home in New York City, giving back to the neighborhood in which he was raised.

Check out our interview with McLeish:

Your Streetball name is 'J-Hi' and you've been playing in New York for a long time now. What would you say your best basketball moment in New York is?

I've been playing basketball with a team called TMP (Take No Prisoners) for a while. We've played all over New York City: Rucker Park, Dyckman Park, Lincoln Park. When we were first played in Dyckman Park, we were playing against this team called the Dominican Power. They had all these guys like (Francisco) García, who played for Louisville, (Luis) Flores, who played at Manhattan (College,) the Greer brothers (Jeff and Ricardo), who played at Pittsburgh and Rutgers. That experience really got me to Eastern Kentucky. Coach (Tim) Maloney saw me in the park playing against these top players, and I did very well and he took me and asked me if I wanted a scholarship to come to EKU. That's when Travis Ford came to a game in Brooklyn, at McClancy … and that's when I became a Colonel.        

What is your favorite memory from your time at EKU?

When I got to EKU, I didn't even know what I was getting myself into. I didn't know what Kentucky was like … I'm a guy from Queens. I've never been out of state or had anybody offer me anything. So when they offered me a scholarship to come play in Kentucky and I came and took my visit to EKU, I really loved it because they showed me a different kind of love out there. The people there and the team embraced me real quick. So it really wasn't that hard. I really like the people that I came across at Eastern Kentucky, because they just made it feel like I wasn't really away from home.

You were on the 2004-05 team that won the OVC and played in the NCAA tournament against UK. What was that moment like?

As a kid from Queens, New York, my dream was to be Division-I, and every kid's dream that grows up playing basketball is to make it to the NCAA Tournament. It was like a dream come true! My guys fought the entire season. The reason why I think we made it to the NCAA Tournament is because we were mad cool off the court. Off the court we bonded so well … we chilled with each other, we talked about basketball and about life and so when we were on the court, we just balled for each other.

When we made it to the OVC Tournament, that's when we got really locked in. That's when we were like "Yo! We gotta go, let's just keep on winning." When we made it to the NCAA Tournament, I was so hyped and excited. When I got back to the neighborhood in Queens, I felt like I was a little celebrity at one point, because not a lot of people from around my way have had the opportunity to play ball in the NCAA Tournament. Because of that, I feel like I have an upper-hand.       

What did you do post-graduation? What are you doing now in the world of basketball?

After EKU, I went overseas and played in Poland, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, China. After that, I came back to the states to play semi-pro ball in Pikeville, Kentucky for the Eastern Kentucky Miners. Then I played in the ABA with the Kentucky Stallions. After that, I mostly played in the streetball tournaments. I got MVP in the Rucker Park in 2012, and my team (TMP) is the winningest team in Dyckman Park's history. We have four park championships.

Right now I've got my own program, TEAM DREAM (Together Everyone Achieve our Mission Dedication Reality Education Ambition Motivation). So, I'm mentoring youth, from kindergarten all the way up to college. I'm training them about what's really occurring and what a student-athlete needs to know when they get to the next level. I'm training them in basketball and teaching them the ins-and-outs of being a student-athlete. I teach them the importance of school. I'm trying to help these kids go to any school, that's free, and then go from there.       

What do you miss most about playing basketball at EKU?

I really miss my brothers on the coaching staff and my teammates. I try to stay in contact with everybody off and on, but I miss being around them. One thing I really miss about Kentucky is it's a basketball state, so once you play basketball there, and you do well, people are all ways going to acknowledge that. I miss my brothers and I miss that state as well.