Courtney Lee Selected 22nd Overall In 2008 NBA Draft

New York — Western Kentucky University’s Courtney Lee became the school’s first first-round selection in the National Basketball Association in over 20 years when the Orlando Magic selected the guard/forward with the 22nd pick in the league’s annual draft Thursday at the WAMU Theater at Madison Square Garden.

Tellis Frank was the last Hilltopper to be chosen in the opening round of the draft after the Golden State Warriors selected him 14th in 1987. Chris Robinson was the most recent WKU basketball player to hear his name called in the draft prior to tonight when the Vancouver (now Memphis) Grizzlies picked him in the second round of the 1996 event.

A 6-foot-5, 200-pound native of Indianapolis, Lee departed the Hill ranked among the top 10 in the school’s career record books in 16 different categories. That included matching Jim McDaniels for the all-time scoring lead with 2,238 points, while setting new WKU standards with 127 games started, 3,957 minutes played, an 81.7 free-throw percentage and 611 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Lee also ranks second with 245 career threes (two shy of the record) and 242 steals, and he ended his career third with 127 games played, 802 field goals and 1,729 shots from the floor. In addition to ranking among the top 10 in school history in scoring average (17.62 points per game — seventh), assists (281 — ninth), blocks (78 — ninth), three-point field-goal percentage (40.1 — sixth), free throws (389 —seventh) and free throws attempted (476 —ninth), Lee also ended his four-year career ranked in the top 10 in the Sun Belt Conference in points (third), steals (fifth) and three-pointers (eighth).

Lee earned numerous honors in 2008 after leading the Hilltoppers in scoring (20.4 ppg), steals (65) and three-point field goals (69), finishing second on the squad with 4.9 rebounds per contest and 28 blocked shots as well as third with 75 assists. He was named third-team All-America by the Basketball Times as well as honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press, and first-team Mid-Major All-American by both CollegeHoops.net and CollegeInsider.com, while also being chosen first-team all-District VII by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The Sun Belt Player of the Year last winter, Lee was selected first-team all-league and to the all-conference tournament squad, and he was voted the SBC Player of the Week on three occasions while once earning the honor nationally from Rivals.com.

He shot a career-best 47.7 percent overall from the field, which included hitting 39.7 percent from beyond the arc, and converted 82.2 percent at the free-throw line to end the year ranked in the top 20 in the Sun Belt in eight different categories. In fact, he finished in the top 100 nationally in scoring (28th), free-throw percentage (89th) and steals (92nd).

Lee was named first-team all-league, second-team NABC all-district and to the all-SBC Tournament team his junior season after averaging 17.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per outing while handing out a total of 57 assists. He shot 47.2 percent from the floor, 40.1 percent from beyond the arc and 84 percent at the foul line as he ended 2006-07 ranked in the Sun Belt in seven statistical categories while finishing in the top 100 in the country in scoring and free-throw percentage.

In addition to being named first-team all-conference as a sophomore, Lee was selected second-team all-district by the NABC. He averaged 17.4 points and 6.3 boards per game — both figures were among the top 10 in the league — while pacing the squad in rebounding, assists (86) and steals (77). He was among the national leaders in scoring, steals and free-throw percentage (84.7%), and he also connected on 62 three-pointers while shooting 40.8 percent from beyond the arc. In his first year on the Hill, Lee was chosen the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and named to Rivals.com’s honorable mention Freshman All-America team after setting the WKU freshman scoring record with 461 points, standing 11th in the SBC with 14.9 per contest. He also ranked in the top 20 in the league in steals (seventh — 1.77 spg), three-point field-goal percentage (eighth — 39.9%) and three-pointers per contest (11th — 1.84), adding 63 assists and 17 blocks.

The Toppers compiled a 96-35 (73.3%) mark in his four seasons on the Hill, including a 49-15 (76.6%) record in Sun Belt games, while participating in national postseason tournaments on three occasions. Lee capped his career by leading WKU to a 29-7 finish and a berth in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last winter, as the Hilltoppers shared the league’s East Division title with a 16-2 record before winning the conference tournament. WKU went 22-11 his junior campaign, while the school advanced to the National Invitation Tournament in each of his first two years, going 22-9 in 2004-05 and 23-8 when he was a sophomore. The Toppers also claimed the 2006 SBC East Division title and advanced to the championship contest of the league tournament that winter.

“The entire Hilltopper family is very excited for Courtney,” Director of Athletics Dr. Wood Selig said. “He handled himself in a first-class manner and was a great representative for WKU throughout the last four years, and his dedication and commitment to excellence raised the performances of those around him. We were privileged to have had him in our program, he leaves behind a wonderful legacy as a winner on and off the court. It is nice to see that others also recognize both his abilities and wonderful character traits, and we wish him all the best as he embarks on his new career in the NBA.”

Other WKU players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft include Clarence Glover (Boston Celtics, 1971, 10th overall), Clem Haskins (Chicago Bulls, 1967, third overall), Bob Lavoy (Indianapolis Olympians, 1950), Tom Marshall (Rochester Royals, 1954, seventh overall) and Jack Turner (New York Knicks, 1954, eighth overall). And, Don Ray was chosen in the opening round in 1948 by the Philadelphia Warriors of the Basketball Association of America, a precursor of the NBA.

Nigel Dixon is the only other Hilltopper with ties to the Magic after signing with Orlando as a free agent in 2004.