Dallas County’s Lee announces official visits

Published 9:23 pm Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Dallas County power forward William Lee is ranked by ESPN.com as the nation’s No. 65 basketball prospect.  According to ESPN.com, he has received offers from Alabama,  Auburn, Georgia, Houston, Mississippi State, Tennessee,, and Vanderbilt. Lee is drawing interest from many other schools. He will participate in the Lebron James Skills Academy, starting on July 5. --file photo

Dallas County power forward William Lee is ranked by ESPN.com as the nation’s No. 65 basketball prospect. He will take official visits to Georgia, UAB, Alabama, Wichita State and Mississippi State, with no school as a favorite to land him.

Dallas County power forward William Lee, the No. 65 ranked player in the ESPN recruiting rankings, has decided the five schools where he will take his official visits.

Lee will visit Mississippi State next weekend, followed by Georgia, UAB, Alabama and Wichita State in that order in subsequent weekends.

“I’m very excited because it took me forever to narrow it down to five schools,” Lee joked.

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Although many publications on the Internet believe Lee will likely go to Alabama, Georgia, or UAB, he denies having a favorite and ranks all the schools the same at this point.

“I don’t have a favorite. I look at everybody the same,” Lee said. “If you want me, I want you.”

Three of the schools — Mississippi State, Alabama and Georgia — reside in the SEC and UAB is in Lee’s home state, leaving Wichita State as the only unexpected school in his top five.

“The reasons I like Wichita so much is because they made it to the Final Four this year,” Lee said “Two, they only have basketball. They don’t have football. I didn’t know that until they told me that.”

Lee has been to Georgia twice and has been impressed with the Bulldogs push for academics, including recording classes so that when players have games they don’t fall behind. Head coach Mark Fox has also tried to get through to Lee.

“He produces players,” Lee said about Fox. “He told me if I come there he would make me a better person and a better player.”

Lee visited Alabama many times and he has been to UAB once, but he has yet to visit Mississippi State.

The decision process to get to five schools was “kind of tough” Lee said. Auburn was the school he said was toughest to eliminate, but it happened because the Tigers and Lee “lost touch.” The power forward said it’s possible he could commit during one of his visits, but he said he is not leaning in any direction..