Lee College Boasts Five Division I Signees

Lee College of Baytown, Tex., has produced quite a bit of Division I talent in the past decade, and the 2002-2003 basketball campaign proved no different.

Running Rebels Head Coach Roy Champagne informed JUCO Junction that five of his sophomores have signed with Division I programs this year.

Of course, JUCO Junction reported back in the fall that 6-11 center Rudolph Mauricette inked with Texas El Paso and 6-8 run/jump athlete deluxe Darrius Brannon was headed to the University of Houston.

Mauricette's situation is up in the air for two reasons. First, he has yet to graduate, and second, former UTEP Assistant Coach Bobby Champagne (Roy's brother) left the WAC program to become head coach at D-II North Alabama.

Roy Champagne said that nothing was etched in stone at this point, but hinted that there was a remote possibility that Mauricette would attend UTEP next fall. His two options would be to get out of his letter of intent and enroll at another Division I school in the fall, or fail to graduate and wind up at a Division II school.

Since the fall, three other sophomores have signed national letters of intent.

They include:

*Joe Thompson, a rugged 6-4, 210 pound small forward from Wharton, Tex., who has signed with Sam Houston State. Thompson averaged 21.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, leading the Running Rebels in both categories. While he might not pass the look test, Thompson is an agressive forward who hits the glass, drives to the hole and gets to the foul line. He shot 44 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the foul line.

*Brannon Hayes, a 6-9, 205 pound power forward from Port Arthur, Tex., signed with Southern Mississippi. Hayes started out two years ago at Texas Tech, but left the Big 12 school shortly after Bob Knight's arrival in Lubbock. Hayes, a versatile power forward with good athleticism, averaged 14.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He shot 55 percent from the field but just 56 percent from the foul line.

*Andrew Queen, a 6-8, 200 pound power forward, signed with McNeese State. He averaged 2.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Running Rebels in 2002-2003. He is expected to provide frontcourt depth at McNeese.

Lee had an uncharacteristically poor year in 2002-2003, finishing 14-16 overall and 8-14 in the East Texas JC ranks. As a result, the Running Rebels didn't qualify for last month's Region 14 Tournament in Pasadena, Tex.