Elle Bielfeldt was the first one to reach out to Bailey Leonard - then serving his second tour in Afghanistan - via Facebook about their plans to bring home the U.S. Marine to surprise his brother, Meyers Leonard, Elle's boyfriend.

The video of 7-foot Meyer's shock and then tears as he embraced his older, but shorter, brother aired on an episode of Big Ten Network's "The Journey" and also gamed viral fame. The Brothers Leonard even appeared on "CBS This Morning" to discuss the surprise and their tough upbringing.

So when Meyers Leonard planned his engagement proposal for Bielfeldt, he tried to think big.

"I was trying to think of something to top that," Meyers said Tuesday, "but, I mean, clearly that's tough to do."

Last weekend, the Bielfeldts - a family that has donated millions to the University of Illinois athletic department - held a massive graduation party in hometown Peoria for Elle, who just graduated from the U of I, and her two younger sisters, one (Matti, an incoming member of the UI volleyball team) celebrating her high school graduation and the other celebrating her eighth-grade graduation.

Leonard proposed there in front of Bielfeldt's family and all her sorority sisters.

"It went over really well," Leonard said.

Most of you know of Leonard's tough upbringing: his father dying in a bicycle accident when he was six years old; he, Bailey and his mother, Tracie, sleeping on their living room floor with no electricity due to poverty; his mother's crippling back injury that has kept her mostly homebound since Meyers was young.

Leonard turned 22 on February 27. And while the uber-athletic, uber-tall basketball star was known for showing immaturity on the basketball court at Illinois, he seems to be turning into quite the man.

Leonard has spurned the enticements of single life as an NBA player to marry his college sweetheart.

His NBA career hasn't gone the way he had hoped - he played in just 40 games this season, down from 69 last year, and averaged just 8.9 minutes per game, down from 17.5 as a rookie. But he doesn't publicly complain about playing time, saying that only hard work will reap that reward.

And he hasn't forgotten about home. Leonard returned to his small southeast Illinois hometown of Robinson last week and will return again next month to host a youth basketball camp, the first of what he plans to be an annual event.

OrangeandBlueNews.com columnist Jeremy Werner caught up with Leonard to discuss his engagement, his NBA career and coming home.

Meyers Leonard: "Aw, yeah. Thank you very much."

Leonard: "It doesn't really change me at all. I'm a very loyal man, obviously to Elle but also to friends and anyone who knows me closely. I'm not really much of a guy who goes out and stays out late and everything like that. I do enjoy doing that every now and again with teammates after a big win or something like that. But I'm extremely content with where I'm at. Obviously, I'm very happy with my relationship with Elle. I love her family. She really loves mine, so it's all good there."

Leonard: "It's been interesting for sure. I'm pretty young. Obviously when I came out, I was only 20 after my sophomore year at U of I. My first year, it was good. It was a rookie year, ups and downs. Like I've told many people, I kind of got a few more minutes than I really deserved. They were there for me. This past year, it was hard on me here and there. A lot of people think I didn't do a lot of improving. But watching film, watching guys play, going through scouting reports and everything like that and my individual workouts and in practice, I got a lot better. It's night and day how much better I am now than I was a year ago.

"This year I got hurt early (ankle injury). Joel Freeland played well early, who was playing some backup 5. It wasn't always easy. I was in the rotation a little bit, then I was out again. I worked my way back in and by the end of the season and playoff time, I was pretty well out. But I was still trying to be the best teammate I could be, studying scouting reports as hard as I could to understand especially in the playoffs, starting with the Rockets, Dwight Howard's favorite moves on the block, James Harden always trying to get back to his left hand, Chandler Parson's pump fake, Patrick Beverly corner threes and obviously onto the Spurs. But overall, our team had a great year. I improved. I think we won 31 more games than we did last year and it was our first playoff appearance in (a while). But getting out of the first round and being as young as we are, I can see a bright future, and I truly do believe I'll come into my own. It's going to take a lot of hard work and focus and understanding of the NBA game, but I believe in myself and I do believe my teammates do, my coaches do and the organization does. Like I said, it's going to take a ton of work, and it sounds cliché but I feel like I have the physical and athletic tools to do a lot of different things on the court, but I just have to continue to learn and understand the game."

Leonard: "It was tough for me throughout parts of this year. I really wanted to be out there, and we won a lot of games this year. Having long, bulky drawn out practices this year didn't happen a lot as far as me being able to play 5-on-5 a lot. The main thing for me is just to play this summer, obviously continue my individual workouts, continue to get stronger, understand and develop. But the playing aspect is the most important. You know, I can dunk from the free-throw line, I can shoot threes, I can knock down as many mid-range jumpers as you want me to in a row, I can do side pick-and-rolls with coaches in practice. But if I don't learn to anticipate and to react and continue to understand the game better by playing, it's hard for me. Sometimes for people on the outside looking in, they say, 'All these guys are in the NBA. They should be able to come in and play no matter what.' Which has some merit. But if you're not in the flow of the game, if you're not getting consistent minutes, you're not in the rotation, it becomes difficult. I just have to remain confident in myself and know that I have the ability to do a lot of different things on the court and to just be aggressive. But just to answer your question in full, just play and develop on-court, in-game live skills and reactions because that's what's going to help me going into next year. So just a lot of playing this summer."

Leonard: "It's had a pretty big impact. Obviously, one of the big things was being able to take care of my mom. For people who know a fair amount of me and my family, it's been tough on us. But she's doing better, getting around more and kind of getting out of her shell more and being comfortable. I got her a new house and did some renovations for her…"

Leonard: "It was amazing. We were coped up in a really small house. To be honest with you, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I think it kind of molded me, and I had other people around me other than my mom and my brother that helped mold me into what I truly believe is a good, young man with the right morals. But to do that, to put her in a new house and do some nice renovations for her. She's kind of on the edge of town where she can get access into town easily and on the outskirts to where she can kind of be secluded and just feel like she can relax. It's really nice and a good feeling to be able to do that for her. She's been there for me literally every step of the way. She always believed in me and still is a great mother. Then for my brother, if he needs something, a little extra cash here or there or to come out to Portland and see me or just anything that comes up within reason, I can help him. To be able to help family and friends that have been there for me when I was just regular old Meyers, it hasn't changed for those people which I respect a lot."

Leonard: "Well, the idea of the camp was something I wanted to do last year but it kind of fell through with being able to pull the trigger on it and setting the dates and advertise it. But being able to give back and help kids and show them the game of basketball to not only my community but surrounding communities, that's another good feeling for me. Growing up, I was always out of the house playing sports, doing things. When camps came up, to be honest with you, I really didn't have much money for them, but if I was able to go, it was always a blessing and always a lot of fun for me to be up there and playing. I feel like I had people who stepped into my life and kind of guided me. I feel like if I can do that for one individual, ten individuals or a hundred, it's a blessing. To be in the position I am in and to have kids look up to me, it's a good feeling. It's something I counted on when I was younger. It's just a beautiful thing really to see smile on the kids' faces, help them with the game of basketball. Not only that but just to show my face and show the kids that I care because that's where I come from.

"Obviously I didn't have a lot when I was growing up. But when I went and spoke to the three elementary schools in my town, obviously part of my message was I'd love to have you in my camp but a good portion of the comments and things I said were, 'You gotta try hard in school. You gotta respect your teachers and classmates, and if you have a dream, you should always work as hard as you can for it because you never know what can happen.' For me, I had a dream to be a professional athlete. I love baseball and basketball. Obviously, I hit my growth spurt there early in high school, and I said, 'You know what? You have a chance. Just keep working at it.' I had people that helped me along the way, but I have fulfilled my dream and want to continue to fulfill my dream by playing more and just being the best that I can be, both on and off the court. The engagement was a big step for me but one that I truly believe in. That's one of the biggest things for me is to grow into a grown man and continue to hopefully do well at my profession and start a family. In the future!"