"He loves the city of Miami and wanted to go there," said Ademole Turner, who coached Lee as the defensive coordinator at Serra High in Gardena. "But no one wanted to go with him there."
Miami's loss turned out to be USC's gain. But it wasn't quite that simple.
The Trojans were lukewarm on Lee, primarily a safety in high school, during much of his junior year. But after assistant coach Kennedy Polamalu (formerly Pola) visited Serra and watched film of Lee, the Trojans suddenly increased their interest.
Today, it almost seems like Lee is USC's entire offense, the way he gets so many touches. And USC coach Lane Kiffin is unapologetic about it.
"If you've got somebody people can't stop, you keep getting him the ball," Kiffin said. "It's critical. I compare it to basketball. You can't get him the ball enough. I can imagine what it would be like (in press conferences) if he only got three catches."
Actually, Lee caught only two passes last month against Washington and there were plenty of questions. But none from Lee. He might have been unhappy but he did not show it.
"Honestly, I just want to win," Lee said. "If I don't get the ball and we're winning, I really don't mind. That happened in high school and I was fine with it."
It is difficult to question Lee because
he seems so happy-go-lucky and team oriented."He's an incredible guy, willing to do whatever it takes and just has a great attitude," said USC track and field coach Ron Allice.
Lee joined the track team in the offseason and instantly excelled in the long jump. Perhaps the ultimate sign of respect is Kiffin let him leave spring practice and attend a track meet in Texas as a reward for Lee's work ethic.
USC basketball coach Kevin O'Neill spoke to Lee last season about playing for this team, but that was before he became one of the nation's most prolific wide receivers. There are probably a couple other USC coaches that would like to utilize his services.
Is there anything he can't do as USC's preferred Heisman Trophy candidate over quarterback Matt Barkley?
In a bit of stunt casting last week, Kiffin inserted Lee at safety for a play, but Arizona State did not snap the ball because it tried to get a delay-of-game penalty.
"I was nervous when I got in there," Lee said.
He even plays quarterback when the Trojans run the Wildcat formation and has gained 66 yards in six carries. Can he also pass since no athletic achievement seems beyond him?
"I think I've got an arm, but I don't think the coaches believe in it," Lee said.
Why doubt him? Just look at his accomplishments heading into the UCLA game Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
Lee has amassed 663 receiving yards in the Trojans' past three games, breaking his own school record for a three-game stretch. His eight games with at least 10 catches is a school record. He is already No. 8 in career receptions in less than two seasons.
But the record that everyone remembers is his 345-yard performance against Arizona, which set a Pacific-12 Conference record and was No.5 all-time in NCAA history.
Lee was more upset after the game because the Trojans lost. Even later, he preferred not to focus much on his huge day.
"I really just wanted to win that game," he said. "(The record) doesn't mean a lot to me. It's nice but that's not the type of player I am. I would rather win."
He feels the same way as he thrust himself into the Heisman conversation.
"I'm not really focused on that," Lee said.
What is undeniable is no athlete carries more clout than Lee these days. USC now has a masseuse on the sideline at the Coliseum because Lee liked getting massaged during the track season.
His dual-sport capability probably also explains why he is injury-free this season. The biggest scare this season came 45 minutes before last week's Arizona State game when his face swelled after an allergic reaction, possibly to something he ate.
"Maybe it was some chips," Lee joked.
Don't bet against USC banning chips from the team hotel before the UCLA game.
scott.wolf@dailynews.com
twitter.com/InsideUSC
friends with kids pacific standard time northern mariana islands summer time coolio ricky rubio day light savings time
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.