Sophomore Michael Lee, a 6-foot-8 forward on the Bonnies basketball team, talks about his young career, his life before St. Bonaventure and the future.

How does basketball rate in the state of Florida?
ML: It is a football state, but I think it's starting to become a three-sport state with basketball and baseball. I think basketball has started to get more notoriety because of the type of players and because AAU has allowed (athletes) to get exposure.

Did AAU expose you to another level of competition? How was it good for you?
ML: We got to go and play got our names out as Florida basketball players who can actually play because we won some of those games.

At what point did you realize that you could play major college basketball?
ML: When coaches started calling my house. I started thinking, maybe I am pretty good and I can pursue basketball.

What did you weigh in high school and when did you have a big growth spurt?
ML: I never really weighed myself, so I guess somewhere around 180. The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I grew five or six inches, up to around 6-7.

What positions did you play in high school?
ML: Actually I played all five positions. I've always been able to handle the ball or go inside and post-up.

Talk about the recruiting process and you wound up choosing to sign with St. Bonaventure?
ML: I got a phone call at home from Coach Solomon. I had seen St. Bonaventure on television, but never really paid close attention. After (the call) I got interested in the school, started looking it up on the Internet and liked it over the other schools that offered me scholarships.

What was the most attractive part of coming here?
ML: The coaches seemed to care about me as an individual rather than just adding another player to their roster. Other programs were just like, "we want you to come and be on the team." Here, (the coaches and staff) are interested in making sure you get your academics straight; making sure you have something to do after basketball.

I'm sure you get this question a lot, but ... how uneasy were you about the weather? And now that you've been here a year, what do you think?
ML: I was actually a little bit excited to see what it was like. This was my first time seeing snow. I heard it was cold, and this is my first time being in a cold weather state. (The weather) has definitely lived up to its reputation.

Last year obviously was a nightmare in terms of wins and losses, but what were the biggest things you learned?
ML: Just to keep playing hard and you never know what can happen. The (recent) West Virginia game is a good example. We were down 20 and our defense got us back into it. So I think we learned from last year to keep playing hard. (Last season) was definitely a learning experience for all of us.

What is the biggest difference for you - not only on the court - from last year to this year? How about on the court?
ML: Just knowing what to expect and knowing what it's like. I know how it is out on the road. I know how the schedule is going to go and that makes me feel more comfortable. On the court, it's just going out there and playing hard. Whatever I can do, whether it's rebounding, blocking shots or scoring ... if you play hard, all the rest will take care of itself.

Looking ahead, what do you think will be the keys to carrying over the team's early success into the stretch six road games in a row?
ML: I think we have to stay a close-knit team on the road. Going out on the road will really test us. We're not going to have the comforts of home and we're going to have the crowd against us. We'll need to lock down defensively even more. That will bring us closer on the road since we won't have the comfort of our home gym.

What are some things, in your mind, that people would be surprised to know about life as a Division I college student-athlete? What things about being a Division I athlete may have surprised you?
ML: That it's definitely not easy. Seeing guys on television, I thought `wow, they just play basketball and everybody loves them on campus.' I learned that's not always the case. There's a heck of a lot of stuff to do off the court, whether it's study hall or homework, late practices, early practices. There's a lot of things on the schedule you have to balance. (Student-athletes) should be admired for that.