Washington Prep senior guard Joshua Lee helped the Generals boys’ basketball team get a 16-15 overall record. His contributions to the Generals earned him All–Coliseum League second team honors.
Lee is a dual sport athlete, competing in both basketball and baseball.
Although the baseball season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee helped the Generals boys’ basketball team reach the Open Division City Section playoffs and the Division III State playoffs.
“It shows the growth in our team because only three of us on the team played varsity before,” Lee said. “For that to happen, it was good.”
Washington Prep came in second in the Coliseum League with an 8-2 record. Lee mentioned how the team’s chemistry was their key attribute to help them with their tough matchups.
At the beginning of the season, Washington Prep battled three of the top ten teams in California. Those challenging games taught Lee how to be brazen in the face of adversity.
“Our schedule was hard, so it was more like learning to step up and playing in the spotlight,” he said. “There were a lot of games … people were doubting us.”
Lee enrolled at Washington Prep at the beginning of the school year. He will miss the close-knit community that the school provided. Although getting acclimated to the school was a challenge, he had resources to make the transition smooth.
“The teachers, the administration, they made it easy,” Lee said. “They walked me through a lot of stuff.”
Lee played pitcher and outfielder in baseball; this developed his hand-eye coordination and agility for basketball. During his junior year, Lee improved his pitching and hitting skills.
“I learned how to throw a slider … I wasn’t good at it and I got better and threw a slider,” he said. “I learned how to pick where I wanted to hit the ball.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has not kept Lee from staying in shape. He has weights in his garage and a basketball court, which allows him to work on his shooting. Remotely attending school has been a challenge for Lee, but he remains optimistic.
Lee believes that student-athletes must be serious about getting good grades as well as their sport. He gave himself a method to complete his assignments.
“I would just do my schoolwork before practice, so I won’t have to do it when I get home,” Lee said.
Math is Lee’s favorite subject; he enjoys solving equations. At his previous school, he was a member of the Christian Club and the Black Student Union. In the BSU meetings, they would learn about historical figures, they also participated in outreach events.
“We would go to the Salvation Army in Compton and we would give to the homeless on Thanksgiving,” he said.
Lee wants to graduate from college with a degree in psychology and become a professional basketball player.
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