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Provo • Leo the Lion is a famous Nevada landmark, a large bronze statue that bravely guards the entrance to the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
BYU's No. 1-ranked men's volleyball team also has a Leo from Las Vegas, setter Leo Durkin IV, and he is just as durable — even if the rail-thin, ever-grinning, self-described bookworm doesn't look all that imposing.
How tough is this 6-foot-4 sophomore?
First, he survived a two-year church mission to New York City.
Second, he spent last summer earning money for tuition by selling pest control services door-to-door in his hometown of Las Vegas, where afternoon temperatures sometimes reached 110 degrees.
Third, he returned to the volleyball team this past season, even though he barely played in 2015 as a redshirt freshman and was stuck behind a pair of seniors, Tyler Heap and Robbie Sutton.
Now, Durkin has not only earned a partial scholarship, he is a vital cog on a team that will play in the NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament later this week at Penn State University.
The overall No. 1 seed, BYU (26-3) takes the court on Thursday at 4 p.m. MDT against the winner of Tuesday's play-in match between Long Beach State and Erskine College.
Monday, Durkin was an honorable mention selection on the AVCA All-America team for 2016; teammates Ben Patch and Brenden Sander collected First-Team All-America honors, while Jake Langlois made the Second Team.
That Durkin would attain All-America status in 2016 would have been unthinkable last year, considering he played in only two matches, both against MPSF cellar-dweller UC San Diego. But when new coach Shawn Olmstead took over last fall he liked what he saw from Durkin and handed him the keys to the Ferrari, as it were, the set-up man for three of the top pin-hitters in the sport — Patch, Sander and Langlois.
"It is a credit to my coaches," Durkin said of his meteoric rise this season. "They have just given me great opportunities in practice, and fostered an environment where I could really improve."
He also credited BYU sports psychologist Craig Manning for helping him with his mental toughness and confidence. And he's learned to not be so hard on himself, to stop dwelling on mistakes and move on to the next play.
"A simple story I can remember is Shawn got on my back because every time I was making a mistake with my sets, I was making a big deal out of it," Durkin said. "Shawn was like, 'dude, just stop doing that. It's not helping anything.' So I was like, 'OK, I will.' And it has paid off. After that, I became determined to stay positive in practice."
Olmstead said Durkin has "put in the time to be a great setter" and developed chemistry and trust with the big hitters on the outside.
"He's a good kid, and a tough kid," Olmstead said. "Any kid who can spend the summer in Las Vegas working outside, selling door-to-door, is a pretty tough kid. … He has learned that nothing in life comes free."
Durkin has set the Cougars to a .363 hitting clip this season, the second-highest in the BYU rally-scoring era. He has added 10.54 assists and 1.35 digs per set.
"Leo has developed, and a big part of it has been the role Robbie [Sutton] has played, going from a starter to now coming off the bench," Olmstead said. "Robbie is one of the best teammates I have ever been around — to be able to embrace that role like he has is pretty special."
Durkin's father, also named Leo, played volleyball for BYU in the 1980s when it was a club sport at the school, and the middle child of seven siblings grew up playing the sport, mostly at the local LDS chapel but also at the traveling club level. He shined for Centennial High in Las Vegas and was recruited to BYU by former coach Chris McGown as a preferred walk-on.
He met his wife-to-be Mackynzie at the Cannon Center (cafeteria) his freshman year, and the couple was married last year after their church missions. She is from Carlsbad, Calif.
For the record, Durkin likes his own first name, as rare as it is nowadays, because it was passed down from his great grandfather, Leo William Durkin.
"I am the fourth Leo," he says proudly. "It is great."
Also great is his love for volleyball and this team.
"It has just been an awesome experience. I always dreamed about playing for BYU, but I had no idea it would be this good," he said.
And it sure beats selling pest control in the Las Vegas heat.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Leo Durkin file
• Sophomore setter was named an AVCA honorable mention All-American on Monday.
• Member of the MPSF All-Tournament team after helping Cougars win conference title.
• Named to the all-MPSF Second Team after helping Cougars go 26-3 this season.
• Had a career-high 62 assists and 12 digs in BYU's 3-2 win over UC Santa Barbara.
• Grew up in Las Vegas, served an LDS Church mission to New York City. —
NCAA Men's Division I-II Volleyball Tournament
P At Rec Hall, Penn State University, State College, Pa.
Tuesday's Play-In Matches
No. 4 Long Beach State (24-7) vs. No. 5 Erskine (20-6), 4 p.m. MDT
No. 3 Ohio State (28-2) vs. No. 6 George Mason (18-11), 6 p.m. MDT
Thursday's semifinals
No. 1 BYU (26-3) vs. LBSU-Erskine winner, 4 p.m. MDT
No. 2 UCLA (25-6) vs. Ohio State-George Mason winner, 6 p.m. MDT
Saturday's championship match
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m MDT, ESPN2