Leo DeAngelo with his family after scoring his 1,000th point for Parkersburg Catholic basketball recently. Pictured are his brother Alex DeAngelo, nephew Vinnie DeAngelo, his mother Kristin DeAngelo, Leo and his father Louis DeAngelo Jr. Alex recently passed away. (Photo provided)

PARKERSBURG – For Leonardo “Leo” DeAngelo, it is about building relationships whether it is through playing sports or working at his family’s restaurant as he prepares for a future in sales. However, it is the connection to his family that remains the strongest.

The 18-year-old senior at Parkersburg Catholic High School has been on Catholic’s basketball team throughout high school, plays on the school’s golf team, plays pickleball with his friends for fun, is involved in the Interact Club and works at his parent’s restaurant, Southern Craft on Emerson Avenue.

“I am a family guy,” he said. “I love my family.”

He is the youngest of five siblings. It was his oldest brothers, Louis and Alex, who used to play basketball all the time when he was younger and helped him develop his skills early on. His mother Kristen (Davis) and father Louis are originally from the Parkersburg area and are Parkersburg Catholic High School alumni. Kristen was First Team All State for 1988-89 and holds the steal record for 18 steals in one game. His parents moved to Louisiana 20-30 years ago. The family came back to the area 6-7 years ago.

Recently in a Jan. 2 game against Fort Frye, Leo DeAngelo surpassed 1,000 points for his high school career during the fourth quarter of a 69-66 win over the Cadets. He scored a game-high 22 points, including 17 in the second half.

Leonardo “Leo” DeAngelo playing basketball for Parkersburg Catholic High School at a state tournament. (Photo provided)

“This is probably my best high school memory for basketball,” DeAngelo was quoted at the time after the game. “Coming from an 0-22 record my freshman year and to be 7-1 this year, I’m just excited. I honestly thought I could do this, but it took a lot of work and a lot of time in the gym.”

His brother Alex was there along with his family to celebrate that milestone.

However, Alex passed away earlier this month.

“It has been rough,” DeAngelo said. “He literally taught me everything.

“He was always there. He always showed up to all of my games. Literally, every single one he was always there. He taught me to never give up.”

Leo Haid, Ashton Lang, Leo DeAngelo and Caron Logston standing outside Parkersburg Catholic High School on the first day of school for their Senior year. (Photo provided)

He got involved in golf through his sister’s boyfriend, Blake Lewis, who was an All-State golfer at Parkersburg Catholic High School.

“He taught me how to play,” DeAngelo said. “I just like to be outside.

“I just like the nature part. When I go by myself, it is just so calming. It is something to do to get away.”

He also likes to spend time at driving ranges with friends just hitting golf balls.

Once, one of his friends wanted to play Pickleball and that is how he got started playing.

Leo DeAngelo out on the links as a member of Parkersburg Catholic High School’s golf team. (Photo provided)

“We went out and played and I just had a blast,” DeAngelo said. “I like the movement. It is not a huge court and there is a certain amount of strategy to it.”

Through sports, he has learned about teamwork, relationships and communication.

“Communication is a big part of it,” DeAngelo said. “You have to communicate.

“Even when things are going rough you still have to communicate.”

While playing golf he can end up playing in mashes where he is with people he doesn’t know.

Leo DeAngelo (center) with his siblings at his family’s restaurant, Southern Craft, where they all work. Pictured are Alex, Aiden, Leo, Izzy and Louis. Alex recently passed away. (Photo provided)

“You have to learn how to talk to people,” DeAngelo said.

Playing pickleball and being involved in Interact is also about communicating.

“It is all about building relationships,” he said.

Interact Clubs are sponsored by Rotary Clubs and provide service projects to the community.

DeAngelo highlighted projects like food drives and other fundraisers done through Interact that helped him develop his leadership and teamwork skills further.

Leo DeAngelo (left) with his family during an outing. Family is important to the Parkersburg Catholic High School Senior. His brother Alex (in the hat) recently passed away. (Photo provided)

“They help people and bring the community together,” he said. “Getting involved is important because it helps others.”

DeAngelo works at his parent’s restaurant, Southern Craft on Emerson Avenue. The restaurant serves cajun food, seafood, burgers and more.

“I love that place,” he said. “It is a family run business.

“All the cooks are family. All my brothers and sister are servers.”

Being a family business, DeAngelo said they have to support one another for the business to remain successful.

“It is family,” he said. “Even when things are going bad, you have to stick by them. Right there next to them.

After high school, he is planning to go to Ohio University to study business as he wants to be a medical device sales representative. He wants to stay close to sports and is looking at eventually selling leg braces, casts and other equipment that deals with sports related injuries.

He has a friend whose father does that for a living.

“I am a big sports guy and know when I get older I will eventually have to get away from it and playing,” he said. “I thought that this is something that can keep me connected to sports as most injuries this equipment is used for comes from sports.”

He is not planning to continue playing basketball or golf in college, unless it is something like intramural basketball.

All of his experiences in sports and at the family restaurant in working as part of a group, communicating and building relationships will help him in a career in sales.

“It is about teamwork and everyone has to be on the same page on everything,” DeAngelo said. “Everybody has to be in touch with everything that is going on.”

As DeAngelo looks towards the future he will remember everything his family was able to provide to him to help him be successful, especially his brother Alex.

“I think about the endless hours of basketball we played and the way he always brought energy, and joy wherever he went,” DeAngelo said. “One of the biggest things he taught me was to always show up because no matter what, he was always there for me, at every single one of my basketball games.

“When I think of Alex, I think of all the laughs, the countless memories, and most of all, the love he showed through every moment we spent together.”

Contact Brett Dunlap at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com