At 6-foot-8, 2013 forward Marcus Lee is long for his age. At 195 pounds, this Deer Valley prospect is lean. As a sophomore, this Wolverine averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 blocks per game to be lethal on the hard court.
Due to his productivity, Deer Valley finished 21-7 this past season that included a second round exit in the NCS playoffs. Lee has the ability to either play face up to the basket or as a post player in the paint. In addition, he has solid ball handling skills for his size to be a versatile player who is a difficult matchup for opponents.
When asked which players his game most resembles, Lee said, "I would probably say Lamar Odom right now. He is a great passer to be 6'9. He also is able to score without too many plays run for him. I really like guys who aren't volume shooters and can score within an offense. My brother says I really take after Dwight Powell from Stanford. So we're going to get up to a lot of Stanford's games this year. I also see similarities in Perry Jones at Baylor."
Lee's older brother, Bryan Lee, also played basketball and has been an influence on his game. Bryan graduated from Deer Valley in 2003 as a 6-foot-9 forward. He then matriculated at Grand Canyon University where he was an All-American in his senior year. His older brother's influence is evident in Lee's paint play but Bryan also made sure that Lee worked on his guard skills as it was not a foregone conclusion that he would inherit the height. Lee's mother stands at 6-foot-2 as a reference point.
Lee considers his court vision as his best skill as he runs the point for his high school in certain set plays. With his ball handling and height, opposing teams find it difficult to press or trap Deer Valley. In addition, Lee has a good arsenal of post moves at his disposal.
Lee has been playing organized basketball since middle school and earned a starting role at Deer Valley as a freshman. During the summer season, he plays with his Bay Area Hoosiers club. Lee has been working on his shooting skills because he knows that he will be called upon to take more shots this upcoming season. In addition, he is putting in time in the weight room. He wants to be stronger and capable of going all out for 32 minutes.
Robert Jones is the coach for the Bay Area Hoosiers. "[Marcus] has so much versatility to his game," said Jones. "He can bring the ball up against pressure, he is an outstanding passer, he can put score facing up or with his back to the basket. Also, he is an outstanding rebounder and shot blocker. He is a very unselfish player and plays with a lot of poise. He has a great leadership quality of remaining calm in tight situations. People might mistake his quiet competitiveness, but he is the ultimate competitor."
Not surprisingly, colleges are already interested in this national prospect. Arizona State, Baylor, Boise State, Boston College, Cal, Colorado, Fresno State, Georgetown, Harvard, Kansas State, Loyola Marymount, Nevada, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Stanford, St. Mary's, Texas, Texas A&M, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Washington, Washington State, West Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth have been in contact with offers from Colorado, San Diego State, and Virginia Commonwealth. The recruiting process is early but Lee likes Shaka Smart at Virginia Commonwealth. Lee has seen the Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Virginia Commonwealth staffs in attendance at his summer games. He also likes the St. Mary's staff as well. Apparently, face time by college coaches at summer events does matter to a prospect and does make an impression.
Lee has a 3.20 GPA and considers English and History as his best subjects. He would like to major in Child Psychology. He wants to play for a program that gets up and down such as the scheme that Virginia Commonwealth runs. They cause a lot of havoc defensively and Lee feels that his ability to guard multiple positions gives him the opportunity to thrive in such a defense. Offensively, Lee is versatile as he can play in a slower methodical offense because he can think through the game, but his athleticism also can be turned on in a faster pace.
Being long, lean, and lethal could also be applicable to Lee on the volleyball court. Lee started playing volleyball as a freshman at Deer Valley where he helped Deer Valley to a second place finish in the NCS Championships. He made first team BVAL as a sophomore and second team in the Bay Area as a middle blocker. He is not being recruited yet for volleyball but he has been invited to play for the junior Olympics and the top traveling volleyball teams in California. He was hoping to play volleyball in college as well but it conflicts with basketball schedule for the most part.
Lee has been spending every previous summer in Texas for the last three years to visit a close friend, Dylan Jones. Jones is a 2013 forward who has already committed to Pepperdine. Jones plays for the Texas Cagers club in Houston. As a result, Lee has had a relationship with this Houston club. When Lee is in Houston during the summer, the trip is no summer breeze. Jones' father puts the boys through three intense daily workouts that start at 5am in the morning. In addition, former NBA player and coach John Lucas has his time drilling the boys on basketball skills.
As a result, Lee may still suit up next summer in Texas for the summer circuit. Lee grew up playing for the Bay Area Hoosiers and the Oakland Rebels. Lee makes it clear that this possible decision would not be a strike against his Northern California clubs. But making a summer basketball trip to the Lone Star state would not be a bad idea from a recruiting perspective. Lee would be able to get Big 12 and SEC exposure in the region.
Lee has individual goals of getting better overall and to increase his strength. His team goals are to win NCS and make a deep run in playoffs as he believes his pack of Wolverines are X-Men caliber. Watch for this Wolverine to be long, lean, and lethal in Antioch, California this upcoming season.
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