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“Kawhi and all them boys were there, so they were getting NCAA tournament bids and we were selling out the arena. That was a good time and we had a lot of football-organized events going to basketball and the basketball guys doing the same for us.”

OK, so it might not exactly have been a west-coast version of today’s Jurassic Park viewing party, but the fossil record of Leonard’s fan base has to start somewhere, right?

“He’s become a household name, and it’s just due to the hard work and preparation that he did,” Draheim said. “He’s the same guy now, as far as I know, as when he was back in college. Still driving the same old Tahoe, or something like that, he’s still got the same old car.

“I’m sure he’s upgraded and got some extra, but as far as I know, he’s the same guy, he stays mellow and if you hear any interview he does, he’s that guy on and off the court. He’s just mellow, he likes staying within himself, and he’s able to do great things because he can control what he can control and he just focuses on what he needs to do to make himself better.”

He's become a household name, and it's just due to the hard work and preparation that he did. Tommie Draheim on Kawhi Leonard

And, at the same time, make better basketball fans out of an entire, hockey-mad country like Canada as the Toronto Raptors face the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the finals Wednesday (7 p.m., Sportsnet).

“He was always leading us,” Draheim said. “It’s no surprise that he turned out to be as good as he is, but did I foresee him being a finals MVP when he was with the Spurs, and then even leading Toronto to the finals right now? It’s surreal. I’m happy for him and for San Diego State to have a kind of alumni like that.”