Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 14, 1995 TAG: 9502140125
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion states: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
It's a principle Bryant Lee, a senior on the Roanoke College basketball team, has come to know well - and not just because he's a physics major.
For the past two years, Lee has felt like a rat in someone's private experiment. He's seen the law in action, both on the court and in his personal life.
``I'm in a class now and we're talking about how peaks follow each other. You get to a high point and then you have a low point,'' Lee said. ``That's how it's been for me.''
Lee was an integral part of last year's Roanoke team that was 26-2, won an Old Dominion Athletic Conference-record 17 games and earned its 14th NCAA Division III basketball appearance.
He was touted in the preseason as an All-American candidate and expected to repeat as a first-team all-conference selection.
``Last year was like a dream season,'' Lee said. ``... We had a few close games, but it was just like we walked through the season. We never felt like we were challenged.
``The chemistry on that team was just perfect. You just couldn't have asked for anything better and I was just glad to be a part of it.''
This season has been different. Instead of senior dominance, the Maroons have played with a young, inexperienced lineup. They're 17-7 overall, 12-6 in the ODAC and hoping to hang on to second place heading into the league tournament Feb.18-20.
It wasn't exactly what Lee had envisioned at the end of last season.
``I definitely thought we'd be a little better than we've been to this point,'' he said. ''At times, we've shown that we can play with anyone, but at the same time, that inexperience has led to us losing some games we shouldn't have lost.
``But as far as playing time, we lost a lot of minutes and I guess I put a lot of pressure on myself to step my game up and become a better floor leader.''
Lee averaged 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game last season when the Maroons also had two-time All-American guard Hilliary Scott. Lee worked on his shooting skills in a Norfolk summer league and expected to see his scoring figures go up.
He leads the Maroons with 14.8 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game, a league high. If he keeps the pace up, Lee will become the first Maroon to average double figures in both categories since Gerald Holmes in 1982-83.
``I can't lie and say I didn't expect to score more, but it's just not working out that way,'' Lee said. ``I can't complain. There's no need in complaining.''
Roanoke coach Page Moir said if he expected Lee to score more it would only be by two or three points. Lee's leadership qualities have helped in ways that don't show up in the statistics, Moir said.
``He comes to play every day in practice,'' Moir said. ``I think he's given the team more leadership through his actions. He comes to play and that's all I ask of him.''
Personal ups and downs also don't show up on the stat sheet and Lee has had his share of downs this season. He missed the Roanoke-hosted Domino's-Valvano Classic Jan.2-3 to attend the funeral of his father, who died New Year's Eve after a 11/2-year bout with colon cancer.
``One thing that's good is he was able to spend Christmas at home,'' said Lee, the youngest of four children. ``I definitely thank God for that. That was probably the highest point in my life, just realizing that it was most likely my last Christmas with him. So I took advantage of every moment I had. Then right after the highest point, I hit the lowest point.
``... It definitely hurt me a lot and it still hurts. I think about it a lot. But most of the time I think about good times, but there's the realization that I won't be able to spend any more time with him.''
Lee grew up in Bena, a small town in Gloucester County about 15 minutes from Williamsburg. He had a successful high school career, highlighted by a trip to the Group AA state quarterfinals his junior year.
But again, Newton's principle was in effect. Before Lee's senior season, Gloucester High School moved up to Group AAA and ``just got raked every night.''
Lee had thoughts of playing Division I basketball at William and Mary, but wasn't offered a scholarship. The idea of walking on and riding the bench in hopes of earning a scholarship just wasn't as appealing as coming to Roanoke.
``I think I could have played [at William and Mary], but would I have had as much fun as I'm having here? '' Lee said. ``If you really like playing a sport, you're going to play it at any level. ... I'm happy here.''
Lee is uncertain about his future after graduation in May. He is applying to graduate schools in California and Florida with hopes of earning a degree in medical physics.
Lee is also considering playing professionally in Europe. He has leads in Germany and Ireland, where Scott plays.
``[Professional basketball] would be something fun to do for a couple years because school gets tedious after awhile,'' Lee said. ``But right now, I'm going along with the plan to go to graduate school.''
Lee would definitely like to see his future headed toward a high point.
``It's tough. It's kind of like when you first come to college, you don't know what to expect,'' Lee said. ``And now I'm leaving and it's the same situation.''
by CNB