William Lee (206-F-1995, college: UAB) is a 30 year old 206cm forward from Alabama playing his 7th professional season and first with the EPG Guardians Koblenz. He turned professional in 2018 playing in the G-League, Serbia, Tunisia and England. He began his basketball career at Dallas county high school and then played at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (NCAA) from 2014-2018 playing a total of 132 NCAA games. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.

Thanks William for talking to germanhoops.com. Your playing your first season with the EPG Guardians Koblenz. What kind of an experience has it been for you? What have you enjoyed most about it?

It´s been ok. The guys and staff have done a good job making sure my living conditions are comfortable. The EPG Guardians organization is very professional.

Guardians sport director Thomas Klein called you a player that makes the difference in games. What have you appreciated most about him and Marco Van Den Berg in their vision of having success for this organization?

I want to thank both of them for reaching out to me and getting me in their quest to help them remain in the league. I also give them a big shout out for researching about me and feeling I could help them stay in the league and help them in more ways than one. Now I have to show thanks by performing at a high level.

The Guardians are in a fight to stay in the league. You saw the team be great against Vechta 2, but what do you feel needs to be worked on more so the team has no more slip ups and can generate a winning streak?

Key for us will be to remain physical. We have to remain physical with opponent´s guards and bigs and not allow anything easy. Oure hedge defense has to be better. We let too many guards turn the corner instead of making them retreat.

What positives did you see on the defensive end against Vechta? Can this be a ball club that gives up 70-75 points per game?

Yes I think we could. On the defensive end, we have to keep teams out of rhythm. We have to remain physical and if we can do that, then I think we can keep teams to 70 points or lower

The team often turns to crazy 1-1 ball when there is adversary. How vital is newcomer Alexandre Bouzidi for bring that incredible calmness to the offense and generating team basketball?

He is so smooth. He had 9 assists. For his first game in this league, that’s insane. He plays with so much poise and at his own pace. He is a rookie but plays like a veteran. He also communicates well. He is very patient and see the paly before it occurs. Sky is the limit for him.

What was your first impression of Leon Friederici? He scored 10 points in a span of 4 minutes. Is that walking bucket stamped on his forehead?

Of course he is. Leon is a professional. He has BBL experience. He has that special mentality and just knows what to do. I´m sure that he will continue to score in bunches and will continue to get the ball from us when he is hot.

What is it like being teammates with rim protector Moses Poelking? What do you appreciate most about his game?

The thing that I appreciate most from Moses is just how much space he takes up. Every basket he got yesterday was under the rim. It is hard to contain him. He knows his spots and understands game well. He just needs to take his time on the free throws.

I stated during the game if every player on the squad played with 20% of that energy that Dominique Johnson has then the team would be in a totally region in the standings. How much of an impact does he have on the team?

DJ has a great impact on us. He is our glue guy and voice of the team. He helps us stay together, organized and disciplined. He is smart and doesn´t get intentional fouls.

How much fun is it playing with Ty Cockfield. He reminds me of Boston Celtic JD Davidson. Does he play like a mini Derrick Rose?

That makes sense about Rose. I love to play with TY. He is the leading scorer on the team. He finds his spots on the pick and roll and always gets to the rim. Nobody can stop him. He is also consistent. He is also a great guy off the court as he makes sure everything is all right with me.

You played the last 2 seasons with Manchester. Your coach was Vincent Macauley who coached in Germany this season with the Artland Dragons. How did he help you develop further there?

Vince is one of my favorite coaches ever. He makes sure that your Ok on and off the court. He does a good job putting the team in a good position to win. He helped me so much mentally. He would always give each player a quote. That helped me prepare for life. My favorite quote was this. “Go as far as you can see. Once your there, go further”. He really helped me move forward in life.

You had so many great games with Manchester in your 2 seasons including a 14/13 game and 7 blocks against Plymouth. What was your favorite performance with them?

Yes it was. That was a crazy stat line for me.

Yu played a season with the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders (United Kingdom-BBL) averaging 11.7ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.5apg, Blocks-2 (1.4bpg), FGP-1 (70.2%), 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 72.0%. Was this your best pro season in terms of stats?

I think it was. We just had a really good team. We had a good point guard in Geno Crandle and good bigs. Every guy could score. It just made everything so easy for me to get to spots and contribute. It was my best shooting season. I don´t think that I took a bad shot.

You had your first tour of duty in Germany in 19-20 with the Nuernberg Falcons BC (Germany-ProA) averaging 7.0ppg, 5.5rpg, FGP: 57.0%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 63.3%. How tough was not ending the season as Covid arrived?

Covid was tough for all. It was the first time something like that had happened and cancelled a season besides the NBA lockout. It was universal. At first it was tough for me mentally, but as soon as I knew that my family was ok, I relaxed more. I got up shots in a park and stayed fit and ready for the next opportunity. Playing with the Nurnberg Falcons was a great experience. I think that we would of made the playoffs that season and made a run.

You split your rookie season with KK Dynamic Vip Pay Beograd (Serbia-KLS) playing 1 game and then moved to the Iowa Wolves (NBA G League) averaging 5.5ppg, 4.8rpg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 26.5%, FT: 71.4%. What do you remember being your wake up call to being overseas where you knew that you were far away from home?

My first culture shock was when I had to have a translator. I remember coach giving a 10 minúte speech and then all the translator said was that you need to play harder. At that moment I thought I need to do something to try to understand the language.

In the G-League you were teammates with NBA veteran Hakim Warrick who was way past his NBA days but played his last pro season with you. How vital was he for a young buck like you?

Hakim was a veteran. He played at Syracuse and played with legend Carmello Anthony. I was able to learn so much from him like how he prepared for a game, how he took care of his body and how calm he was on the court. He was so poised and nobody could aggravate him. He always kept it simple.

What kind of a grind was the G-League. It is difficult to get a NBA call up playing only 16 minutes. You had your moments scoring 24 points and battling Duncan Robinson who had 21 points. What is your summary of your G-League season?

It was a great experience. It is more of a faster pace game than overseas and a lot of 11- play. No team basketball.

In the summer of 2018 you played NBA Summer League with the Memphis Grizzlies. What kind of an experience was that? What was your coolest moment in Vegas?

It was a very humbling experience. I played together with Jaren Jackson and was around Jerry Stackhouse. I was so blessed and grateful to be able showcase my skills on such a big stage.

You had a great career at the University Of Alabama Birmingham averaging in double figures in scoring in 3 seasons and averaged 6 rebounds per season. How did your game grow there?

I just learned how to play the game there. I learned to be patient on offense and get the right position on defense. I also learned to enjoy the game as well.

As a freshman you lost to the powerful North Carolina (NCAA) having a 5/4 game. What memories do you have of battling Kennedy Meeks?

I was young. We played them at their place. The atmosphere was incredible as it was sold out. That game was my welcome to the NCAA. Every player at North Carolina from 1-12 could ball. It was a great experience to play against them.

What memories do you have of your Big dance run in 2015 beating Iowa 60-59 and losing to UCLA?

It was always my dream to play at March Madness and win. Unfortunately that didn´t happen, but we did win 1 game. That wasn´t easy. We had a great team with great team chemistry and everyone understood their role. That was like a Cinderella story.

How did head coaches Jerod Haase and Rob Ehsan groom and prepare you best for a professional career?

The most important moments were in practice where they helped me understand the game and what to look for. We watched a lot of film and they helped me understand defensive rotations. They were good coaches and put me in good position at both ends to be successful.

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Chris Cokley?

We never played. He is a great player. We still talk to this day. He was a beast.

Who was the best player that you ever battled in the NCAA that reached the NBA?

Monte Morris and Norman Powell

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Lorenzo Cugini, Dick Williams, Chris Cokley, Taz Green, Nick Stampley

What is your personal NBA Mount Rushmore?

Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnet, Shaq, Steph Curry

Who is your GOAT?

Kevin Garnet

Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming To America? Shouldn´t they have left it alone?

Yes they should of.

Thanks William for the chat.