It was the summer of 2018 and LMU was in Melbourne, Australia playing games during the team's foreign tour to the Land Down Under. One of the opponents on that trip was the Dandenong Rangers, which featured a young Keli Leaupepe.
 
"It was very out of the blue when I found out I was going to play LMU," said Leaupepe, who had just verbally committed to play for the Lions in the weeks leading up to the game. "It gave me a chance to get a grasp of college play and the lads on the team early on which was good."
 
Leaupepe attended Box Hill Secondary College in Melbourne, a public-school basketball powerhouse that has produced over 120 U.S. college basketball players, including future NBA All-Star and Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons.
 
But the Australian game and the American game have their differences.
 
"Instead of two halves of play we use four quarters in Australia, so the pace is a bit different," explained Leaupepe. "There are a lot more athletes in college basketball, of course. Instead of the one or two high flyers on the team in Australia, nearly the whole team is like that in college. The physicality is also different. We can get away with a lot more pushing and shoving in Australia, whereas not so much in America, which I learned quickly!"
 
Leaupepe proved that his physical style of play could pay dividends as he made the transition to Division I basketball with the Lions. The Australian played all 32 games for LMU in his first season on The Bluff, leading to a West Coast Conference All-Freshmen team selection.
 
The 6-6 Aussie finished second on the team in scoring (9.1 ppg) and third on the team in rebounds (3.9 rpg) in the 2019-20 season. Leaupepe's 54.5 percent shooting (103-for-189) proved to come up in big moments, including his first taste of the WCC Tournament back in March.
 
Leaupepe put the Las Vegas crowd on notice as he guided the Lions to a first-round win with his 23-point, 10-rebound double-double to defeat San Diego. The Australian shot a perfect 20-for-20 from the charity stripe, and missed just one free throw in his last five games of the season on 35 attempts (97.1 percent).
 
Once Leaupepe understood the college game, his performance took a jump. From the beginning of conference play through the end of the season, Leaupepe increased his scoring, rebounding, assists, minutes, and shooting percentages from the field, three, and the free throw line. Of his seven game of 15 or more points, seven came after conference play began. 
 
"The culture was the biggest change for me, which was something I didn't really think about much coming in," said Leaupepe. "There were things such as my slang I had to change because at times people didn't know what I was talking about or thought I meant something completely different, which was funny. As far as on the court, I had an idea of what it was going to be like, but I think I adapted to it more towards the end of the season. The lads and staff on the team really made my transition smooth and helped make LMU feel like home."
 
Currently, back in Australia, Leaupepe is ready to take another leap forward as one of three former WCC All-Freshman team selections (teammates Eli Scott and Dameane Douglas were recognized each of the previous two seasons) on the 2020-21 roster. Leaupepe also will get a chance to play alongside the program's current record holder for career field goal percentage in Mattias Markusson at 59.1 percent. Leaupepe has the pieces around him and the game to make year two a beauty for himself and his mates.