By Thomas J. McKillen

Managing Editor

J.P. Tokoto, one of the most highly-recruited athletes to ever come out of Menomonee Falls High School, signed a national letter of intent Nov. 9 to play basketball at the University of North Carolina next year.

The signing occurred at Riverside Elementary School in Menomonee Falls, where Tokoto’s brother and sister attend school and where new Menomonee Falls boys basketball Coach Dan Leffel is a teacher.

“I want to involve everybody who supported me,” Tokoto said of holding the event at the school.

The signing finished off a process that reached a peak in March, when he announced at a press conference that he committed to North Carolina. The signing ends a recruiting process that was in full swing by the time Tokoto was a freshman. Wisconsin and Kentucky were among the schools that recruited Tokoto.

“I was thinking about it a couple days ago and I had the same feelings when I first committed, but now it feels better,” Tokoto said.

Trevor Trimble, Tokoto’s step-father, said they approached the recruiting process “one day at a time.”

“It was a very humbling experience,” Trimble said. “I can’t say anything bad about any university that we had the opportunity to visit or that offered J.P. a scholarship. It was a very fun experience. We took it for what it’s worth but our goal was to try to help J.P. determine what’s the best for him.”

Leffel indicated that Tokoto’s decision to play at North Carolina came after closely examining the options.

“It was a very thought-out decision. His family made sure that whichever program he was going to be part of, that there’s a great team, there’s a great family atmosphere,” Leffel said.

Tokoto recalled attending games in North Carolina last year and looking around the arena during a time out.

“I am definitely looking forward to it,” he said of playing for the Tar Heels.

During a tele-conference with local media earlier in the day, North Carolina men’s basketball Coach Roy Williams said he first started recruiting Tokoto after seeing him play at a summer tournament in Las Vegas following Tokoto’s freshman year.

Williams said Tokoto has “tremendous upside” as a basketball player while also being a “quality kid” off the court.

“He has that package you’re looking for,” Williams said.

After signing the letter of intent, Tokoto indicated he could relax now that process has concluded.

“It was lot of fun. At times it got hectic,” Tokoto said.

Tokoto indicated the attention over the past few years was a positive for the team and the community.

“We look forward to the big games and the sellout crowds, it helps us a lot,” Tokoto said.

Leffel noted that as an assistant coach last year, he was part of the process of hosting open gyms and meeting various coaches.

“We know it’s a positive thing. It makes it busy for us as coaches. But as long our players true character is showing, that’s what I care about,” Leffel said.

Looking ahead to the high school season and beyond, Tokoto said he worked on his overall game during training over the summer, including passing and shooting.

“Number one is defense. Coach  (Williams) actually told me if you can’t play defense, you can’t get on the floor,” Tokoto said. “ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) is one of the toughest conferences to  play. We were working on defense a lot.”

Trimble noted that Tokoto “has a lot to work on”  as a player.

“By no means do we think  — or him — that he’s made it. What J.P. has made it to is the opportunity to play on the national stage,” Trimble said.

The day included members of the Menomonee Falls boys basketball team reading to Riverside students and then answering questions submitted in advance. Leffel indicated the day was part of an overall message to the team.

“One of my missions is to make sure my players understand that it’s more than individual people, it’s about us all. If we give back to the community, if we develop those skills of being unselfish, they’re going to carry over to our team, to our games but also into the rest of their lives,” Leffel said.

Leffel explained the event is intended to show the positive aspects of the team and school.

“There are so many positive qualities by our Menomonee Falls basketball athletes. There’s so many things that are said in blogs or online or whatever it might, this is kind of story we need to show more so, the positive traits of our athletes giving back,” Leffel said.

Leffel noted that every single player on the squad has put “hours and hours” of work into getting ready for the season.

“People outside of Menomonee Falls do not know how much these guys have worked, how much they have improved. They are very good players,” Leffel said.

He added that every player on the team has a role and some will score more than others.

“The team concept of guys setting screens, guys making the extra pass in order to get the shot we want, that’s going to be key thing for us,” he said.

Leffel later added that the team learned  lessons from last year, which ended on a last second basket by Waukesha South at the regional final.

“They found out that individual basketball doesn’t work. They found out that we need to play team basketball,” Leffel said.

While the day was centered around Tokoto’s college plans, he indicated his focus was now on the season which begins in a few weeks.

“I feel motivated,” Tokoto said.