• Smooth body control
• Strength
• Versatile
• Perfect role player
• Basketball IQ
• Perimeter shooting
• Pull-up jumper
• Mid-range game
• Free throw shooting
• Fundamentals
• Passing ability
• Unselfishness/Team play
• Perimeter defense
• Ability to get in passing lanes
• Timing
• Mature
• Patient
• Doesn’t force issue
Weaknesses:
• Level of competition
• Explosiveness
• Slashing game
• Ball-handling skills
Orlando Summer League, Day Two July 9, 2008 Courtney Lee was really the only notable performer on this extremely overmatched Orlando team, as they just did not have the horses to keep up with Oklahoma City’s three top-5 picks. Lee was outstanding in his own right, though, doing a fantastic job all game long utilizing the pick and roll, and being incredible aggressive putting the ball on the floor and making his way to the rim. What was interesting was that he started off the game looking more to facilitate and play his role within Orlando’s half-court offense, picking and choosing his spots wisely and not forcing the issue in the least bit. As the game wore on and things deteriorated for his team he started to take over much more, finishing the game was an impressive 27 points on 8/14 shooting.
His range appears to easily extend beyond the NBA arc already, and he looked very comfortable spotting up and knocking down all 3 of the attempts he took as the ball rotated in his direction. He also drove and finished with both hands equally well (always using the glass intelligently, or sometimes with a crafty floater) and did not hesitate in the least bit to pull-up off the dribble from mid-range if his defender cheated and went underneath the screen. Defensively he tried in vain to keep up with Kevin Durant—contesting his shot nicely but to no avail due to his incredible size and length, but found success on other players, getting in the passing lanes and putting a good deal of effort in as usual. [Read Full Article]
Cross-Country Workout Swing: Part One, PTC @IMG Academy May 16, 2008 Courtney Lee- From what we could see here, Courtney Lee is very likely going to impress a lot of people with the way he’ll look in private workouts. Physically, he’s in excellent shape, with a superb frame, excellent fluidity, and looking very impressive getting off his feet with his extremely quick initial bounce. We’ve raised some question marks about his overall athleticism in the past—but that did not seem to look like much of an issue here—especially with the way he was jumping. He was the most natural player of the bunch in everything related to the jab-steps and shot-creating tools, able to sell his moves almost effortlessly and looking extremely polished in all the various skill-work he did.
He shot the ball extremely well in the drills, displaying picture perfect form and no longer bringing the ball down before going into his shot the way he had a tendency to do during the season. Off the court, he’s almost just as impressive—well-spoken, humble, confident, and obviously very intelligent. We couldn’t really evaluate some of the things we have question marks about—for example how he will fare in a pure one on one setting against a long, athletic defender having to create his own shot excessively using advanced ball-handling moves, as well as some of the issues regarding the passivity he displays from time to time—but he showed enough in other areas here to have left an extremely strong impression. [Read Full Article] Courtney Lee: "We knew we could play with anybody" May 6, 2008 If you ask Courtney Lee how he can help an NBA franchise next season, his initial answer might surprise you.
“Off the court I believe I have good character, I carry myself well and I don’t have any baggage.”
While most players are quick to point out their shooting prowess or ability to get the ball into the hands of a star player, Lee takes the more unconventional route by discussing his strength of character. This response may seem a bit out of place in today’s professional basketball, but if you understand where Lee’s story begins, his answer becomes a little clearer.
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Lee starred at Indiana’s famed Pike High School where he played alongside Robert Vaden, Justin Cage and Chris Thomas, three players that would go on to successful college careers at big schools. Lee seemed primed to do the same, after finishing second in the voting for Indiana’s Mr. Basketball as a senior and playing brilliantly in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star series. When it came time to choose a school though, the Indianapolis native didn’t have the same pick of schools as his teammates.
“My freshman and sophomore years I took school seriously, but not to the extent that I needed to; as I started to mature and get towards my junior year, I started to realize that I needed to step it up in the classroom. I started to do that towards the end, but when it came time to decide on schools, the past came back to haunt me. I shouldn’t have taken those first two years for granted.”
A lack of a solid academic background out of high school scared a lot of major programs away from recruiting Lee out of Pike. Ultimately Western Kentucky, one of the schools that did stick with Lee, would become the talented guard’s home for the next four years. A positive visit to the campus, coupled with having family in the area, were major factors in Lee’s decision to join the Hilltoppers. A sit down meeting with Head Coach Darrin Horn helped seal the deal for Lee.
“Everything he was saying added up. Plus, the great facilities and one-hundred percent graduation rate were other factors I looked at too.”
Western Kentucky, a school already rich with basketball tradition, was getting themselves a star in the making with the commitment of Lee, the future Sun Belt Conference player of the year, though, he would have a difficult time adjusting to his new surroundings initially.
By now the story of Lee and teammate Danny Rumph has been well documented. Rumph was a junior when Lee first arrived in Bowling Green and helped the freshman adjust to college life and living away from home. Lee spent as much time as he could on the basketball court in order to keep himself busy and as a means of coping with his initial home sickness. Rumph was able to help tremendously though and the two became inseparable. Tragedy would strike though, as Rumph collapsed and died the following May from a heart condition. Today, Lee sports a tattoo of Rumph on his right arm as a reminder of the friend he lost four years ago.
Despite the initial issues he was dealing with, Lee showed no ill effects on the basketball court. He was selected conference freshman of the year after posting averages of nearly 15 points and 5 rebounds. During his sophomore season, Lee would see these numbers improve, impressive considering he had to change positions.
Unhappy with the incoming class of recruits that he had scouted to play point guard, Coach Horn decided to try his blossoming youngster as a floor general. The switch paid off, as Lee finished in the top ten in the conference in assists, while having one of the best offensive seasons of any sophomore in school history. More importantly in the long run, the one year switch would bring added depth to Lee’s game.
“It definitely has helped me to develop my game a lot. You see the court from a scorer’s perspective and from a point guard’s perspective. It adds a lot on to the things I’m already capable of doing on the basketball court. . I definitely got comfortable there and I think it provides a lot to my all-around game.”
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The arrival the following year of talented point guard Tyrone Brazelton allowed Lee to move back to his natural spot at the off guard position, where he continued to put up big offensive numbers. This past season, he earned Sun Belt player of the year honors after averaging a career best 20.4 points, and for the first time in his career, Lee and the Hilltoppers started gaining some national recognition after posting another 20-win season. The senior had no qualms about voicing his opinion on the lack of attention his team received over the years.
“It can get frustrating at times, but then you just have to look at it like you need to make the best of your opportunities. That’s really what [the team] focused on and we knew that when we made it to the NCAA Tournament we could play with anybody.”
For teams like the Hilltoppers, who were seeded 12th, often times just making the tournament is an accomplishment to be proud of. Lee and his teammates had other plans though. A first round match up with 5th-seeded Drake would provide one of the most memorable moments of the tournament when senior guard Ty Rodgers hit a game winning three-pointer in overtime as the game clock expired. When asked about his take on one of the defining moments of the tournament, Lee said he would be lying if he saw it happening.
“I mean four years ago you can ask anyone to picture things and they’ll see themselves in the NCAA Tournament advancing as far as they can go. But never at any point did I picture that in my mind. When I was in Tampa a reporter asked me about growing up and practicing a game winning shot, or chasing Ty down after he hit the shot, I never could have pictured it like that at all in the end.”
The Hilltoppers would ultimately lose in the Sweet 16 to UCLA, but the run would prove to be a form of vindication for Lee, who had heard all the comments about being a big time scorer against weak competition. Showing his ever increasing maturity though, Lee understood his critics.
“Whoever you are, people are going to find something that’s wrong with your game. When you have doubters it makes you work harder and continue to do the things you’ve been doing. You just need to keep putting in the work and when you’re on that stage you have to focus.”
Lee more than stood up to stiffer competition this season, though. In his regular season match ups with Gonzaga and Tennessee and his three games in the NCAA Tournament, Lee averaged nearly a full point higher than he did for the entire season. So much for not being able to play with the best.
After Lee’s season ended with the loss to UCLA, the individual accolades began to roll in. As previously mentioned he was named Sun Belt player of the year, in addition to earning honorable mention All-American honors. The humble senior was quick to give much of the credit to the hard work of his teammates though and state that the important thing was the success of the program as a whole.
Like so many seniors across the country now, Lee’s main concern is finishing exams and graduating. He has been training hard at Western Kentucky during his free time, and plans to continue his training with Coaches David Thorpe, Mike Moreau and Dan Barto at the IMG Academy, once he earns his degree. In the mean time though, he has been able to preoccupy himself with the whirlwind that is the pre-draft process. Lee, who compared the agent selection process to picking a school, chose to sign with Jason Levien, who represents the likes of Kevin Martin. Lee was more than happy to get back to basketball.
“After that process was over it was a relief, now my agent is putting in the time and the work for me, but it’s still about me doing all the things I need to do on the court and off the court to get better.”
Now the focus is all about getting better. Lee says he has gotten positive feedback from several NBA teams, but that he has also heard about areas he needs to improve in. He was very candid in stating that he feels he can improve every aspect of his game, but specifically cited his range and assertiveness on the court. Lee stated that the harder he works to improve, the more excited he becomes to show scouts and GM’s what he is capable of on the floor.
“You put in the work and you just want to go out and showcase your abilities.”
Looking back now, Lee can’t imagine the past four years of his life having played out in any other way. The basketball player who once missed out because of grades has matured into a stronger, more driven individual with his goals in plain site. Most refreshing of all though is the responsibility that Lee claims for everything.
“As far as high school and not getting into a big school, it was definitely all my fault, like I said I didn’t take school serious enough. But as you grow and start to mature you learn more about stuff that you need to handle. I wouldn’t change it for anything though because it’s all played out well.”
With the draft a little less than two months away now, things could continue to play out even better for the once cast aside prospect. [Read Full Article]
NCAA Weekly Performers, 12/05/2007 -- Part One December 5, 2007 Having already profiled Courtney Lee’s strengths and weaknesses in extreme depth (just click on his name if you haven’t already done so) just a few weeks ago, we’ll offer up the following progress report. Lee seems to have made a very nice progression on some very key parts to his game, making him one of the most impressive early-season performers in all of college basketball. This year’s freshman class is getting most of the hype at the moment, but Lee is averaging 24 points per game in 28 minutes shooting 58% from the field, and his team is playing outstanding basketball.
One of the issues we had with Lee in the past was the fact that he often looked perfectly content being a role player despite being in a situation at Western Kentucky that obviously demanded of him to be much more. That certain lack of aggressiveness was nowhere to be found in the two games we watched early on in the season, as Lee has been taking his team on his back whenever the situation called for it, and has looked excellent doing so. He’s shown a lot of character in the process, stepping up to make big plays on a number of occasions, particularly down the stretch.
Most impressive might be the way he’s putting the ball on the floor and creating shots for both himself and others. He’s handling the ball well with either hand, showing no hesitation going to the basket, and even executing advanced ball-handling moves like splitting traps off the pick and roll before dropping in a beautiful floater, complete with excellent body control. Never one to force the issue (his patience and maturity is really unique), Lee did a terrific job finding teammates for open looks on the drive and dish too, even if they did a poor job finishing. His unselfishness is pretty uncommon for a mid-major draft prospect, particularly a talented scorer.
A part of Lee’s game that continues to show tremendous potential as far as the NBA is concerned is his pull-up jumper. When Gonzaga decided to go underneath the screen defending the pick and roll, Lee punished them instantaneously by pulling up fluidly from behind the arc and creating excellent separation from his defender by elevating off the floor for his picture perfect jump-shot. He then proceeded to do the same on two more occasions, this time from mid-range, showing an uncanny resemblance to DraftExpress favorite Anthony Parker in the process.
Defensively, Lee’s team plays a lot of zone, making him a little tougher to evaluate, but you could clearly see how intelligent he is with everything that has to do with awareness and positioning on this end of the floor. In the man to man setting, he puts really nice pressure on the ball, and has really pesky hands, as his 3.2 steals per game this year so far would indicate. He’s even blocking a decent amount of shots, thanks to his superb timing, activity level, and also his nice physical profile (he has an NBA body already.)
As far as the draft is concerned, it’s clearly way too early to make any sweeping judgments, but we’re having somewhat of a hard time figuring out what exactly might keep him out of the first round. Lee has been discussed and ranked exclusively on DraftExpress since his freshman season, but he’s really starting to take his game to the next level, despite the conference he plays in (the Sun Belt). Maybe he lacks a slight bit of explosiveness creating his own shot or finishing at the rim, nothing chronic, but he really seems to be making a terrific case for him early on in the season so far. We’ll obviously be back to check on his progress as the year moves on. [Read Full Article] Top NBA Draft Prospects in the 'Other Conferences' (Part One: #1-#5) October 29, 2007 After three strong, efficient seasons at Western Kentucky, Courtney Lee seems primed to step into NBA draft discussions, especially after an impressive showing at the Lebron James Skills Academy this past summer. The 6’5 (maybe 6’6) wingman averaged 17 points on 47% shooting and 40% from behind the arc as a junior for the Hilltoppers, almost duplicating his numbers as a sophomore. With his solid athleticism and high basketball IQ, Lee brings an all-around scoring game to the table from the wing.
Most of Lee’s offense is based around his jump shot, showing close to textbook form, aside from a slight tendency to push the ball forward at times, which really isn’t much of an issue. His form is consistent, his release speed good, and his release point high, which is a large reason he shot so well as the focal point of his team’s offense. More impressive than his general form, though, is Lee’s body control when shooting off the dribble, something he does very well from the 15-20 feet area. Lee can shoot the ball pulling up going to his left and his right, showing good footwork and requiring very little separation to get his shot off, rarely having it altered by the defender. His body control is excellent when pulling up, and he has good enough ball-handling to consistently create his shot against Western Kentucky’s competition. Lee is also good spotting up from behind the three-point arc, which he does in transition and in the half-court. In the half-court, Lee does a good job working to get open without the ball, changing directions well to get separation from his defender.
Lee’s offense isn’t limited to his jump shot, though, as he has average ball-handling skills for a wing, and can take the ball to the basket with either hand adequately well. Lee strangely prefers going to his left with the ball even though he’s a righty, showing more confidence and a more controlled dribble going in that direction. When he takes the ball to the basket, he shows very good body control and ability to adjust in mid-air, also taking contact well when necessary with his well-built frame. Lee doesn’t rely on going to the basket much, though, as he’s more effective from the perimeter and his ball-handling is good, not great. He doesn’t really change directions well with his dribble in the lane, though he has a nice crossover he can use in space on the perimeter. Lee also does have a nice floater from around 10 feet that sometimes looks like it’s a half jump-shot, which he gets off quickly and easily. His overall scoring game is very reminiscent of Brandon Roy’s, though he clearly lacks Roy’s point guard skills.
Lee’s best offensive attributes definitely come in terms of scoring the ball, and that’s what he’s asked to do for his team, but he shows the ability to contribute in other ways as well. He’s a solid passer, not being selfish with the ball, and will move the ball well in the flow of an offense, finding open shots on the perimeter or feeding the post. He doesn’t have any real point guard skills in him, but he’s a solid passer for a wing. He also can contribute on the glass with his athleticism and length, going up in a crowd to pull down a rebound. In transition, Lee runs the floor well and finishes with some nice moves at the rim, showing off vertical explosiveness on occasion.
On the defensive end, Lee has great raw tools and a solid fundamental base, getting into a good defensive stance and almost always playing up on his man in man-to-man defense. He shows good lateral quickness and instincts as well, though he’s not a lockdown defender, as he can be beat. He also uses his length and athleticism to disrupt in the passing lanes, averaging 1.5 steals this past season and 2.6 the season before. The biggest gripe to be had with his defense at this stage is that he can get caught out of position when his man doesn’t have the ball, but he’s not much worse there than the average 22-year-old prospect.
Despite mostly playing against weak competition in the NCAA, Lee has shown plenty of signs that his ability can translate to the NBA. Against better competition this season, including Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Southern Illinois, Lee’s production didn’t dip at all, and he got off his shot with the same ease against their defenses. He also showed great confidence over the summer going up against Lebron James at his skills academy, showing no fear while displaying his full offensive repertoire. Lee could be a little more dominant against the competition in the Sun Belt Conference if he played a little less passively, and that’s something he could work on showing this season. If he keeps his current pace, though, he should be firmly in draft discussions, possibly even creeping up to the first round if he makes some noticeable strides with his game. His potential is probably that of an 3rd/4th option type player, such as what Anthony Parker plays for the Toronto Raptors. [Read Full Article]
LeBron James Skills Academy Day Three July 10, 2007 Sun Belt star Courtney Lee did not face the fiercest of competition this past season at Western Kentucky, but don’t tell him that. He was absolutely fearless going up against LeBron James, attacking the Cavaliers guard at every available opportunity. Those in attendance could not stop gawking about the confidence that this small school guard had going up against arguably the best player the NBA has to offer. Lee shot the ball with consistency from beyond the three-point arc, displayed a nice pull-up jumper, and got to the rim via his explosive first step. He did not seem to be playing the strongest defense here, but his offensive prowess more than made up for that. [Read Full Article] Weekly Top Performers (12/12): Part 2 December 14, 2006 Lee is a smooth athlete with good quickness, and an NBA body. He displayed some of his athleticism against Southern Illinois on a put-back dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. Lee has very nice form on his jumper to go with good elevation, and a quick release. He can shoot it out to NBA range, and generates most of his points from off the dribble jumpers at the college level. Against Southern Illinois, Lee displayed promising potential on the defensive end as well. In addition to staying in front of his man, he also disrupted the passing lanes, and generated 5 steals. A lot of players who steal a lot of passes do so while gambling a lot, which costs them defensive position, but this isn’t the case at all with Lee. He displays good confidence on the floor, but is a very unselfish player.
The main weakness for Lee at this point is the fact that he isn’t a great slasher going to the basket. His ball handling could use some work as well, though it works fine for the competition he is facing now. For a player averaging 19 points per game and shooting over 53% from the field, you’d expect Lee to look for his own shot more often than he currently does. This is fine for someone who will be a role-player at the NBA level, but in college he needs to carry his team.
At the NBA level, Lee projects to be a nice role player with a solid all-around game. He doesn’t have the best upside in the world, but he is the type of guy who will make a team happy to get a contributor in the second round. To best help his draft stock, Lee will need to lead Western Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament this season. They have one of the stronger teams in the Sunbelt, but they will face tough competition from South Alabama, who made the tournament a year ago, as well as North Texas. As a junior, Lee is likely to test the waters this year and enter his name into the draft. If he continues to produce at the same level for the rest of the season, Courtney Lee will find himself in the early to mid-second round at least. [Read Full Article]
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