Calvert Hall's Lee headed to Towson
Calvert Hall small forward Damion Lee will play college basketball just a few miles down the road from his high school. 
The 6-foot-6, 195-pound small forward signed with Towson on Wednesday, picking the Tigers over Quinnipiac.
“It’s a great feeling,” Lee said. “I was thinking about waiting until the spring time, but then the opportunity arose after the visit and I just felt it was a good decision for me to make.”
Lee, a Baltimore Sun All-Baltimore County selection who averaged 11 points and seven rebounds as a junior, took an official visit to Towson last weekend. While he initially gave some thought to leaving the area for college, seeing the Tigers’ 82-71 win over Miami of Ohio helped make his decision easier.
“I liked the fan support,” Lee said. “Their student section was pretty rowdy. I just think next year, we’re definitely going to build on that and keep the energy up and just hopefully turn Towson into an NCAA tournament team.”
Lee will be the fifth Baltimore-area player on Towson’s roster next season, joining Braxton Dupree (Calvert Hall), Troy Franklin (Mount Carmel), Isaiah Philmore (John Carroll) and Danny Smith (Archbishop Spalding).
Calvert Hall coach John Bauersfeld thinks Lee will fit in well with the Tigers’ up-tempo style of play. Bauersfeld said Towson’s staff was impressed by his skills “and his heart.”
“I think Towson does a really nice job of letting their wings have a lot of freedom,” Bauersfeld said. “I think Damion really feeds well off that and he has very good basketball IQ. He can really score, put the ball on the floor and do a lot of different things. And he liked what he saw when he watched Towson play. ... He’s great on the offensive boards and they really like the little things that he does, and also his personality. He’s a great person and he’s very coachable. And I think that stuck out to them.”
Lee, who plans on studying either business or communications, moved with his mother to Maryland from New York before his freshman year. At the time, staying in the area for college wasn’t his highest priority. But now that living close to home for the next four years is official, Lee couldn’t be happier with how things turned out.
“The atmosphere is great,” Lee said, “and I can’t wait to play there next year.”
Baltimore Sun photo of Damion Lee by Gene Sweeney Jr. / Jan. 23, 2009
