All For Detrick: Ishmael Leggett Delivers Special Performance in Front of Biggest Fan

WASHINGTON —  When Ishmael Leggett was a freshman in high school, he was in the car with his father Detrick heading to basketball practice just like any other day.

However, on that day — December 20 — his father suffered a stroke behind the wheel, crashing into the rear bumper of the car ahead. Detrick was left paralyzed and unable to speak. He was in the hospital for six months following the event, and survived three brain surgeries. He was then diagnosed with severe expressive aphasia, which he lives with today.

Ishmael talks to and thinks of his father every day, and even has a tattoo with “A4D” on his arm, symbolizing his “All for Detrick” motto. Leggett told PSN before the season that he calls his father whenever he gets the chance and tells him about everything he does.

“We FaceTime every day, always keeping him updated,” Ishmael said. “Just little things like that, just to let him know that I’m grateful for you, I’m thankful that you did what you did for me to put me in a position to succeed. I’m just grateful for him and my mom doing that for me at such a young age and still to this day. I just owe everything to him.”

In April 2022, while he was a sophomore at Rhode Island, Leggett arranged a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to buy his father a Tobii Dynavox device. The campaign — titled “HELP My Dad Detrick Communicate!! APHASIA Sucks! — reached its goal of $25,000 and even surpassed the target amount — achieving a total of $32,000+ according to GoFundMe. Ishmael and his family were able to get their father the gift that would assist him with his communication.

Fast forward almost two years, and on Thursday, March 14, Ishmael woke up as the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year. The Pitt guard was preparing for Pitt’s first ACC Tournament game — a quarterfinal matchup against 5-seed Wake Forest, who beat the Panthers by 33 just weeks prior.

The stadium was packed with Pitt fans, Wake Forest fans, and other fans of the conference. But one fan in particular was attending his first game of the year:

Detrick.

Leggett’s father, for the first time since his son Ishmael transferred to Pitt, was able to come watch the Panthers play in person along with the entire Leggett family and plenty of friends and supporters from the area.

His son subbed in for the first time at the 16:40 mark in the first half, and hit a three pointer less than 45 seconds into his shift. 7-4, Pitt led early.

Minutes later, Leggett stepped into the passing lane and got a hand on a Wake Forest pass, tipping the ball towards half court. After the ball bounced further away from him and the player he was guarding, Leggett dove on the floor and tipped the ball off of the Wake player. Pitt ball. Leggett was giving it everything he had this game, and it was clear from the jump.

Throughout the rest of the half, Leggett hit three more layups and a jump shot, while earning three more steals in a two-and-a-half minute span towards the end of the half. In the second half, he continued his career night, subbing in with 18:19 to play.

After missing his first attempt of the half, Leggett, with Wake big man Efton Reid on him, dribbled through the lane and found a soft spot in the defense near the left elbow. With all of his momentum leaning left, Leggett hit a difficult jumper in Reid’s face back to the right. 43-33, Pitt led.

On the ensuing possession, Leggett got Reid to switch onto him once more. Attacking the mismatch again, Leggett took a few steps back before he stepped up into a three pointer over the out-stretched arms of Reid. Splash. 46-35, Pitt.

He continued his game-changing play on both ends of the floor, grabbing another steal, along with six more rebounds (three offensive). His “hustle stats” were off the charts. His scoring? elite.

Leggett converted a massive layup through contact with 3:51 left in the second half while Pitt was clinging to a three-point lead, giving the Panthers some much-needed breathing room. Down the stretch, he hit another layup and every single one of his free throws. Finishing with a team and season-high 30 points, Leggett led Pitt to victory.

All for Detrick.

Photo Courtesy of Renee Leggett.

The inspiring performance — in front of his father, his mother, his brother, his sister, and all of the Panther fans in attendance — was one of historic measure. Leggett became just the second Panthers player all-time to score over 30 points in an ACC Tournament game and he scored the second-most points in one game coming off the bench in program history.

“Ish was able to accept what this team needed, but I think why he was able to accept that is that he understands his value to the team,” his head coach Jeff Capel said after the game. “Him not starting doesn’t mean he’s less valuable. In fact, he’s become even more valuable for us. He’s embraced it. It’s a testament to him, to his parents, how he was raised, his high school coach, and the people that he’s been around.”

Leggett and the Panthers walked away excited with the result on Thursday night, but there is still work to be done. On Friday, Pitt will take on No. 1 seed North Carolina in the semifinals. Certainly, a tall task awaits, especially for a Pitt team that is vying for a spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Needless to say, it’s a massive game.

And as of Thursday night, Detrick plans to be there once again.

The Leggett family. Photo Courtesy of Renee Leggett.