You may know Marcus Lee as a 6'9" power forward and one of the stars in Kentucky's incoming freshmen class. But off the basketball court, the chill Californian is one of the goofier personalities BBN has encountered for awhile, one who will leave an impression long after he exits Rupp Arena. You've seen the highlight tapes and read his stat lines at all star games; now, enjoy learning some new things about Marcus Lee.
1. His volleyball skills rival his basketball skills. In a stereotypical Californian trait, Lee has played volleyball (indoors and beach) for six years and even had scholarship offers from Stanford, Cal-Fullerton, UC-Irvine, and UC-San Diego. As a middle blocker, Lee translated his volleyball blocking skills to basketball shot-blocking skills, even learning to block with his non-dominant left hand when he broke his right thumb. Let's go back to some highlights from his high school volleyball career for evidence (Lee is 22):
Perry Stevenson, you may have some competition on Marikka's courts soon.
2. He's a small town kid. When Lee tells people he's from Antioch, he gets the same looks you or I would get in New York if we told people we were from, say, Paducah or Elizabethtown- as in, blank stares (no offense to either city. I've played in some fabulous soccer tournaments in those towns over the years). With a population of just over 100,000, Antioch is about a third of the size of Lexington.
3. In his spare time, Marcus volunteers for a campaign called "Every 15 Minutes," a group dedicated to spreading awareness of the dangers associated with driving while impaired and/or texting. To remind him "not to do dumb sh*t while driving," Marcus keeps this in his car:
A little morbid, but whatever stops you from texting and driving.
You can find out more about Every 15 Minutes here. Kentucky players have become known for their contributions in the community as well as on the court, and it's great to see Marcus already taking part in an effort to raise awareness about something as dangerous as driving while texting or under the influence.
4. He's a fan of 90s television shows. Lee's Twitter makes references to Saved By The Bell as well as the upcoming Boy Meets World spinoff, Girl Meets World (yeah, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like). You can't argue with good taste, y'all.
5. He's considered a career at Apple. Marcus' brother Bryan works as a recruiter for Apple, and Marcus describes himself as a tech geek who never really believed that the NBA was a possible career path for him. Just wait til Calipari is done with you, Marcus.
There you have it, BBN. The Man Behind the Fauxhawk. For some reason, I have a feeling Marcus and Willie Cauley-Stein are going to get along really well.
@KristenGeilKSR
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
The Caliparis are back in Lexington -- and for good reason. They may not be Kentucky Wildcats anymore, but Karl-Anthony Towns certainly is (now maybe...
You may know Marcus Lee as a 6'9" power forward and one of the stars in Kentucky's incoming freshmen class. But off the basketball court, the chill Californian is one of the goofier personalities BBN has encountered for awhile, one who will leave an impression long after he exits Rupp Arena. You've seen the highlight tapes and read his stat lines at all star games; now, enjoy learning some new things about Marcus Lee.
1. His volleyball skills rival his basketball skills. In a stereotypical Californian trait, Lee has played volleyball (indoors and beach) for six years and even had scholarship offers from Stanford, Cal-Fullerton, UC-Irvine, and UC-San Diego. As a middle blocker, Lee translated his volleyball blocking skills to basketball shot-blocking skills, even learning to block with his non-dominant left hand when he broke his right thumb. Let's go back to some highlights from his high school volleyball career for evidence (Lee is 22):
Perry Stevenson, you may have some competition on Marikka's courts soon.
2. He's a small town kid. When Lee tells people he's from Antioch, he gets the same looks you or I would get in New York if we told people we were from, say, Paducah or Elizabethtown- as in, blank stares (no offense to either city. I've played in some fabulous soccer tournaments in those towns over the years). With a population of just over 100,000, Antioch is about a third of the size of Lexington.
3. In his spare time, Marcus volunteers for a campaign called "Every 15 Minutes," a group dedicated to spreading awareness of the dangers associated with driving while impaired and/or texting. To remind him "not to do dumb sh*t while driving," Marcus keeps this in his car:
A little morbid, but whatever stops you from texting and driving.
You can find out more about Every 15 Minutes here. Kentucky players have become known for their contributions in the community as well as on the court, and it's great to see Marcus already taking part in an effort to raise awareness about something as dangerous as driving while texting or under the influence.
4. He's a fan of 90s television shows. Lee's Twitter makes references to Saved By The Bell as well as the upcoming Boy Meets World spinoff, Girl Meets World (yeah, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like). You can't argue with good taste, y'all.
5. He's considered a career at Apple. Marcus' brother Bryan works as a recruiter for Apple, and Marcus describes himself as a tech geek who never really believed that the NBA was a possible career path for him. Just wait til Calipari is done with you, Marcus.
There you have it, BBN. The Man Behind the Fauxhawk. For some reason, I have a feeling Marcus and Willie Cauley-Stein are going to get along really well.
@KristenGeilKSR
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard