A Marcus Lee profile

Mitch Stephens profiles Marcus Lee and the Nor Cal Tipoff Classic, which starts today.

Lee is a Wildcat

Jimmy Durkin writes about Marcus Lee making it official with Kentucky.

Lee goes Wildcatin'

So Marcus Lee went bluegrassin' or, more accurately, Calipari-in.

Congrats to him.

Here's Paul Biancardi.

Evan Daniels tweeted this quote: "Marcus Lee: "For the next four years I'll be attending the University of Kentucky."

Unsolicited advice: Get thee to the weight room ASAP as greater strength will facilitate a much better offensive arsenal and the result will be your choice of staying or leaving earlier.

Check out the facility housing Marcus' new crib (Marcus: get to know Chris Cain on a first name basis).


So Kentucky now has a quartet of five stars commits with one or two more possibilities/probabilities. Can you see it now: a new NCAA rule limiting schools to prospects totaling 20 basketball stars per class. That would really provoke a Rivals/Scout feud.

Marcus Lee to announce tomorrow

Curtis Pashelka reports that Wednesday is Marcus Lee's day to announce his choice of college.

Does this have a bearing:

"...He was scheduled to make one more visit to California before making a decision, but that trip has now been cancelled. It was rumored that the Bears coaching staff traveled to Lee’s home Monday night to make one last pitch, but Scout.com analyst Evan Daniels told the Herald-Leader that visit never happened.

“They had two assistants at his workout but they did not have an in-home visit,” Daniels said..."

The gut sez Cal, the head Kentucky.

Important, or not

From Jason Jordan:

Asked Marcus Lee if UK landing the Harrison twins made the Cats even more attractive: "Definitely. I love playing with them in the summer."

and

Marcus Lee told me he's worked out with the Harrison twins every summer for the last 5 years at John Lucas' camp

Will Coach Cal lose to Cal?

Coast 2 Coast Hoops tweeted: "Our sources say Marcus Lee will end up at Cal with Jabari Bird"

What will be the deciding factor?

National press for Marcus Lee from Rob Dauster.

Lee down to two

Erock71 has posted at the Rivals MB that Marcus Lee is down to Cal versus Calipari based on Louisville getting a verbal from a 6-foot-8 prep forward..

Lee to visit Kentucky next

Corey Albertson writes about Marcus Lee and Kentucky (a Rivals sub is required) after John Calipari extended an offer:

"Their biggest point is that Marcus doesn't even know how good he's going to be," Bryan [Marcus' brother] Lee said. "They feel like they have been through this process before with guys like Marcus and that they would be the best fit to help him develop into the best player that he can be. They told Marcus that they believe 100 percent he has the talent and that they want to show him the direction.

Maybe that was John Calipari in a car next to you

Hey, maybe that was John Calipari you saw this weekend. From Garrett Tucker: "John Calipari is scheduled to have an in-home visit with Marcus Lee today"

A Lee prediction

Coast 2 Coast Hoops has tweeted: "Source tells Coast2Coasthoops that 2013 Marcus Lee is CAL bound"

Earlier, from Jason McCleary: "2013 Marcus Lee cut his list to 3. Cal, Louisville and Kentucky, per source"

So who has the best weight coach?

In the Kentucky dorm for basketball players (the Wildcat Coal Lodge), a personal chef is on duty as well as a number of other amenities also being offered.

There's always Chez Panisse on Shattuck for Monty to counter with.

The Draft Express folks on Bird & Lee

Jonathan Givoney/Draft Express on some names you know: 

Jabari Bird

Strengths:
-Good size for a wing
-Frame should fill out nicely in time
-Good athlete
-Talented one on one player
-Can create his own shot with either hand
-Solid mid-range game
-Finishes well around the basket, sometimes in acrobatic fashion
-Excellent shooting mechanics
-Can make shots off the dribble or with feet set
-Elevates well creating separation from defender to get pull-up jumper off

Weaknesses:
-Average wingspan (measured 6-7)
-Lacks strength. Only 179 pounds. Will take time for body to fill out
-Needs to improve polish, experience-level in half-court
-Average ball-handler
-Can't consistently create good shots around the basket in the half-court at a high rate yet
-Settles for bad shots at times
-Outside shot prone to streakiness

Marcus Lee

Strengths:
-Has terrific height and length for a big man at 6-10 in shoes, with a 7-1 ½ wingspan
-Great frame that will fill out nicely in time
-Extremely athletic
-Excellent finisher. Dunks everything
-Very good shot-blocker. Good timing
-Solid offensive rebounder
-Finishes very well around the basket. Good hands
-Above average feel for game. Solid passer
-Plays with solid effort. Looks competitive

Weaknesses:
-Only 199 pounds. Lacks strength in a serious way
-Pretty raw on both ends of the floor
-Fundamentals are average, especially on defense
-Doesn't box out opponents
-Average defensive rebounder
-Struggles to keep stronger big men from posting up. Doesn't deny position early in possessions
-Limited scorer
-No post game. Lacks strength to back anyone down, doesn't have any real footwork
-Doesn't show much of a perimeter game
-Not as good a rebounder as he should be

The Big Three

For the oldtimers out there, how long has it been (if there ever was a time) that three high school talents from the Bay Area and in the same senior class were also projected to enjoy substantial careers in the NBA?

We are speaking of Jabari Bird, Aaron Gordon and Marcus Lee.

Granted a lot of hard work still needs to be applied and bodies will need maturing but each of these talents will likely, barring injury or something else unforseen, be heading to The Big Show prior to a full four years of college ball.

Each is also projected to be an impact talent in the NBA and not a reserve.

Recent draftees Damian Lillard, Jared Cunningham and Orlando Johnson will soon be plying their trade in the NBA which makes it a must for following their respective careers and impacts. There is already chatter of Lillard in the running for Rookie of the Year.

But the Bird - Gordon - Lee troika is widely heralded, having as CDickens once wrote, great expectations.

All this also brings up another issue: who, if anyone, is being overlooked at the moment and will bust out during their college days similarly to the Lillard's coming to the fore?

Marcus Lee at the Elite 24

Kelly Kline photographs Marcus Lee at the Elite 24 event.

The latest on Marcus Lee

Adam Zagoria offers more on Marcus Lee.

Marcus Lee's trips

Adam Zagoria has the August, September and October dates and destinations of Marcus Lee's college visits.

The best in the west, now and later

Here's Eric Bossi (a Rivals sub is required) on some Nor Cal talents. He lists Aaron Gordon as tops in the west, writes about others and then:

"So, to make a long answer short. In the near term it's a toss-up between [Isaac] Hamilton and [Stanley] Johnson, but looking five years down the road it shifts to a discussion between [Malik] Pope and [Marcus] Lee."

Lee sets two trips

Adam Zagoria notes two visits Marcus Lee will be making.

More on Marcus Lee

Jeff Rabjohns/Peegs.com (a Rivals sub is required) recently wrote about Marcus Lee after talking with Lee's brother Bryan.

Also came across this @ Coast 2 Coast Hoops: "Cal leads for 2013 forward Marcus Lee with Duke a close second"

A Marcus Lee update

Adam Zagoria has the latest on Marcus Lee's preferred list of suitors.

Neal Nieves says San Diego State is still there, if reading this right.