Marist head men’s basketball coach Mike Maker has announced the hiring of C.J. Lee as an assistant coach.
Lee spent the past four seasons on the staff of Head Coach John Beilein at the University of Michigan. This past season, he served as Director of Program Personnel. From 2010-13, Lee was the program’s Administrative Specialist. Within these positions, Lee served as the point person for student-athlete business, making sure each student-athlete had what he needed to be successful on and off the court. As Director of Program Personnel, Lee served as the highest-ranking staffer outside of the coaching staff.
Lee comes to Marist with experience in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. He played his first two collegiate seasons at Manhattan from 2004-06, and was part of the Jaspers’ 2005-06 MAAC regular-season championship and Postseason NIT team. He then transferred to Michigan, where he played from 2007-09. As a co-captain on the 2008-09 team, Lee helped lead the Wolverines to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998.
“C.J. is an ideal fit for our staff and Marist College,” Maker said. “He comes from a wonderful family and is very bright. He has a familiarity with the MAAC, having played two years at Manhattan, and has been tutored as a player and coach by Coach Beilein for the last seven years. Clearly, he has the total package to make an immediate impact in our basketball program.”
Lee played in a total of 103 collegiate games, including 67 at Michigan. He joined the Wolverines as a walk-on, and earned a second semester scholarship in the 2007-08 season. Lee registered an assist-to-turnover ratio of better than 2-to-1 in two seasons as a Wolverine (99 assists, 44 turnovers), and shot .365 from three-point range as a senior.
“I started my career as a student-athlete in the MAAC and I am thrilled to return as an assistant coach at Marist College,” Lee said. “Joining Coach Maker’s staff along with Paul Lee and Andy Johnston is a tremendous honor and I am humbled by this opportunity. I look forward to developing new relationships with the current student-athletes and their families. I am eager to get started in Poughkeepsie.”
Lee was named a Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award winner, and was one of 10 recipients of the Michigan Daily Student of the Year honor. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Lee earned several honors from the program, including the Thad Garner Leadership Award twice, the Wayman Britt Outstanding Defensive Player Award in 2009 and the Steve Grote Hustle Award in 2008.
Lee earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan in 2008, and completed his master’s in public policy from Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in 2010.
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