Not only has Western Kentucky University's Courtney Lee gained knowledge in the classroom over the summer while taking classes, the senior-to-be worked on improving his game on the basketball court as well by participating in several camps run by National Basketball Association stars.

Lee, a native of Indianapolis, Ind., was invited to attend the

Lebron James' King's Academy from June 22-24 in Akron, Ohio, before taking part June 25-28 in the Vince Carter Skills Academy in Orlando, Fla., and James' Skills Academy July 6-11, which was also held in Akron.

To be invited to these events, Lee received an assist from the WKU staff and head coach Darrin Horn.

“Coach Horn got in touch with the people at NIKE,” said Lee, who enters his final season of eligibility on the Hill ranked 12th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,503 points. “They sent the invite to the office, and I went forward from there.”

“I think this was important for both our program and for Courtney to be selected simply because when you look at the roster of who was invited to those events it's very rare to have someone from a non-BCS conference there,” Horn said. “The fact that he was invited says a lot about the respect level that our program warrants nationally, and obviously shows the reputation that he has earned around the country with his performance here the last three years.”

At each of the events, Lee and the other campers were put through a series of drills by assistant coaches and staffs from several National Basketball Association teams. The first part of the day included individual workouts that focused on ball handling, defending and shooting, as well as other specific skills such as footwork and playing without the ball.

After that, the participants would compete in games.

“I was prepared for all of the different things we needed to do at each camp because of the drills that coach runs in practice,” said Lee. “You could really tell that what we're doing at WKU is helping to prepare us to play at the next level.”

For Lee and the other campers, many shared the feeling that kids have when attending collegiate coaches' summer camps that they have served as counselors at during their careers. “We were excited and ready to get in line just like the kids at coach Horn's camp,” he said. “It was incredible to get to learn from people who are involved in basketball at such a high level.”

There were plenty of recognizable names on the floor with Lee, as well. Some of the other players who also attended these events included Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis), Damion James (Texas), Drew Lavender (Xavier), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), James Mays (Clemson), Drew Neitzel (Michigan State), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) and K.C. Rivers (Clemson).

Even with all those faces familiar to collegiate basketball fans, Lee was comfortable the minute he stepped on the

court.

“You realize that the only difference between yourself and the other campers is the name of the school,” he said. “It wasn't much different for me going against them than it is when playing games with our guys at WKU.”

The summer camps didn't just help Lee by giving him individual instruction. According to the 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard/forward, he was able to determine what skills he has versus what parts of his game can be improved upon prior to the start of his final collegiate season.

In addition to his scoring abilities- Lee is one of nine individuals in WKU's 88 years of basketball to post 500 or more points in multiple seasons, and he enters his final campaign fourth on the Hill with 176 three-point field goals- he has garnered recognition for his shooting touch and work on the defensive end of the floor. In three seasons, Lee has also established himself as the Toppers’ all-time leader with an 81.4 free-throw percentage and ranks third in school history hitting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc, while he stands third at WKU with 177 steals.

Lee has earned all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches each of the last two years, been recognized twice as a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection and was chosen the league's freshman of the year in 2005.

The Hilltoppers have posted a 67-29 (69.8%) record during his career, including a 33-13 (71.7%) mark in Sun Belt action. WKU has twice advanced to national postseason play in his first three years.