The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
William Lee Tabbed Conference USA Player of the Week
1/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After leading UAB to a pair of road wins last week, Blazer sophomore forward William Lee was selected as the Conference USA Player of the Week, announced Monday by the league office.
Lee averaged 20.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocked shots per game to help the Blazers secure wins over Old Dominion and Charlotte and run the UAB winning streak to 12 games. Additionally, Lee shot 56.5 percent from the field, 60.0 percent from three-point range and 81.8 percent from the free throw line.
“HaHa has been outstanding for us all season, but he really made some big shots in key situations in both games last week,” UAB head coach Jerod Haase said. “He was also able to make several big plays on the defensive end that really effected what teams wanted to do.”
Lee opened the week with a career-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds and four blocked shots Thursday in a 72-70 overtime win at Old Dominion. The Plantersville, Ala., native also made a career-high five three-pointers, including two in overtime, to help UAB snap Old Dominion’s 32-game home winning streak. Overall, Lee scored 10 of UAB’s 15 points in overtime.
On Saturday at Charlotte, Lee turned in his third double-double of the season when he registered 13 points and 11 rebounds in addition to four blocks in a 74-72 victory over the 49ers. The win propelled UAB to its 12th consecutive victory and a 5-0 mark inside Conference USA.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for these types of awards, but I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without the help and support of my teammates,” Lee said. “I don’t really look at any of the individual numbers. I’m more concerned with winning and helping my teammates in any way that I can.”
Lee and the Blazers return home Thursday at 8 p.m. to face Rice at Bartow Arena. All fans are encouraged to wear gold for the team’s Gold Rush Game.
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are set to return to Birmingham for the second consecutive year, marking the third time the Blazers will host the event. The men's tournament, as well as the women's semifinals and championship, will be played at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham, while the women's first round and quarterfinal action will take place at UAB's Bartow Arena.
For more information on UAB men’s basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), on Instagram (@blazerhoops) or on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABMensBasketball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
