Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Michael Lee has found that chasing the dreams of playing a game he’s loved since he was a child can be painstakingly lonely.
The former Kansas basketball standout’s college career ended more than two years ago against Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Since then Lee has played basketball in other countries, toured the U.S. with a basketball team known for its flare not its national ranking and played in gyms that wouldn’t hold half the fans of Allen Fieldhouse.
It doesn’t get any better than playing basketball at Kansas, Lee said. He said if you don’t make it to the NBA, you don’t get treated as well as when you’re a student athlete. After touring with the Harlem Globetrotters early in 2006, Lee accepted an offer to play in France, but recalled the time as a painful learning experience.
“If I wasn’t on the court, I was miserable,” Lee said. “The first day I had my car I got two speeding tickets and then got my car towed. I didn’t speak French. I couldn’t communicate well with anyone.”
Michael Lee, former Kansas guard, dribbles on the perimeter during a scrimmage on June 20. "Playing the point has made me a more versatile player," Lee said.
Lee never made it past the transition process that looms for many American players in Europe. Despite the solace he received at the time from fellow European player and former teammate Aaron Miles, Lee returned to the U.S.
A fresh start waited back in Kansas with the U.S. Basketball League’s Kansas Cagerz in Salina. Soon after the Cagerz point guard went down with an injury, Lee immediately faced another change in his playing career.
Instead of playing the shooting guard position that he had been familiar with his entire career at Kansas, the Cagerz cast Lee into the point guard position.
“Playing the point has made me a more versatile player,” Lee said. “I feel comfortable leading and making decisions on the court now.”
Lee’s unstable career continued with the Cagerz. Diving for a ball, Lee’s left arm went numb and ligaments inside it tore, ending his season.
Lee said returning to the University with Miles for Bill Self’s Kansas Basketball Camp during the past two weeks has brought back memories of successful times in Lee’s career. He said the shoulder injury is healing and he has enjoyed playing with the younger Jayhawk players. He doesn’t tell the current Jayhawks more than they ask, but he does make sure to let the players know how good of a life they have at Kansas.
“I can say KU is the best place in the world,” Lee said. “Coach Self was so good at making sure every player improved, not just the stars of the program.”
Lee said he was unsure whether he would ever play professional basketball again. Dealing with the unstable atmosphere of the semi-pro game is a situation Lee is still weighing. He said he may go back to college if he doesn’t find a good fit with a basketball team. Despite the frustrations since college, he said he’s matured and learned far more about himself through the trials.
“I’ve learned that if nothing else, everyone is a leader of themselves,” Lee said. “Right now, I like that I have options. Only time will tell where I end up.”
— Edited by Joe Caponio
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