UAB’s Lee named CUSA DPOY for second time
Published 7:39 pm Tuesday, March 7, 2017
From Staff Reports
UABSports.com
UAB junior forward William Lee made school history Tuesday when he was selected as the 2017 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, the league office announced. Lee was also named to the Conference USA All-Defensive Team. Lee, who captured the award last season as a sophomore, becomes the first Blazer to ever win the award twice. He is also the first player in Conference USA to repeat as winner since Memphis’ Joey Dorsey accomplished the feat in 2007 and 2008.
“HaHa has the ability to effect the game in so many different ways, but I think his propensity for blocking shots is what sets him apart from other defenders in our conference,” UAB head coach Robert Ehsan said. “Not only does he block a lot of shots, but he alters a ton of shots too and that’s what makes him so special.”
Lee enters the Conference USA Tournament first in the league and 20th in the NCAA with 2.4 blocked shots per game. His 75 total rejections are also tops in the league. He is currently second all-time at UAB with 219 career blocks.
“Blocking shots has always been a big part of my game and is something I work on all the time in practice and the offseason,” Lee said. “I know that when I block a lot of shots my team is usually pretty successful, so I just look at it as a way that I can help the team.”