Posted on: Thursday, July 29, 2004
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By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist
About the only thing that could make Logan Lee's abrupt departure from the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team any more surprising would be if he said he was doing it to join Ricky Williams' search for eternal truth and frequent-flier miles.
Is there something in the air?
First, on the eve of training camp, the Miami Dolphins' running back takes off on his journey of globetrotting self-discovery. And, now, it is the Rainbow Warriors' starting point guard who decides to dribble out of the picture less than a month before school starts.
Williams' idiosyncrasies were well known. Lee, though, had been solid and as dependable as a bank draft. In short, he was about the last guy you expected to take a hike at this point. And, he's also one of the last guys the Rainbow Warriors could afford to lose.
Lee wasn't just penciled in for the starting point guard job, it was his on a gold platter for the next two years. There were no other point guards on the 10-man roster. Talk about job security, all Lee had to do was stay healthy. And, of course, stay in town.
It is hard to imagine he could have had too many complaints about either. Lee played in all 33 games last season — starting 26 — and was fourth in minutes played. With Jason Carter gone, it was going to be Lee's team to do with as he could. If he had any complaints with his coaches or teammates you figure they could have been addressed months ago.
Now, UH is looking for a point guard in the worst way if not about the worst time. Finding one a matter of weeks before the start of school isn't something eBay can help you with.
Recruiter Jackson Wheeler, who had been on the road looking for prospects for the 2005-06 season, will now have to throw it into reverse and go back over a landscape that was already picked over months ago.
You don't suppose Derrick Low would reconsider, do you?
The alternatives aren't ideal. The 'Bows could move their only guard from the last recruiting class, Matt Gibson, to the point, a position he has played in junior college. But Gibson and his 25.8 points a game average were to replace Michael Kuebler as a scorer. Or, they could attempt to retool and dust off some of the two-guard offensive sets they ran in past years.
Given this 11th-hour headache, would it surprise anybody if head coach Riley Wallace decided to join Ricky Williams?
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
With the cast UH thought it had assembled around Lee, there seemed to be a lot to look forward to this season. Instead, Lee told The Advertiser's Dayton Morinaga, he is definitely leaving and the reason appears to be a reawakened urge — girlfriend? family? — to stay close to home in San Antonio.
Logan Lee
