ODU basketball star Lee gets case of northern exposure

The days are long in Uusikaupunki, Finland, this time of year. Almost endless, with just a couple of dusky hours in the middle of the night. The water in the lakes is surprisingly warm for such a northern latitude. Finnish people from the cities flock to the resort town on the southwestern coast, where many have summer cottages.

Gerald Lee is going there, too, back to his hometown, only not for long. The rising senior big man at Old Dominion University was scheduled to arrive in Uusikaupunki on Sunday afternoon. By Monday morning, he was headed to a five-day camp with the Finnish National basketball team, a couple of hours away, near Helsinki.

"I calculated that I'll probably be home for maybe a week-and-half, at the most, out of two months total," he said before leaving last week.

It's not a pleasure trip, but one that could pay dividends for Lee and ODU next season. This will be Lee's first extended stint with the national team, which is attempting to qualify for the European Championships. To get one of 16 spots, the Fins will have to win an "Additional Qualifying Round" tournament that includes France and Italy, a pair of teams loaded with NBA players.

It's a tall order for Finland, which is not a basketball power but is putting together what is considered to be its strongest team in years. Hanno Mottola, the first Fin to play in the NBA, ended a brief retirement and rejoined the team. Point guard Petteri Koponen, a former NBA first-round pick, is also on the squad.

Then there's the 6-foot-10 Lee, arguably the top returning player in the Colonial Athletic Association. He played a few games with the senior national team before coming to ODU, but most of his international experience is on the junior level.

"I'm going to try to do the best I can and try to mix myself in the rotation and eventually in the starting lineup," he said. "There are senior players I can learn a lot from, and I'm just going to try to learn as much as possible."

Lee will get a couple of days off after the first camp, before leaving for another camp in Helsinki. The Fins will play practice games in Portugal, Hungary and at home after that, before beginning the qualifying round tournament in France on Aug. 8.

The home games will provide a rare chance for Lee's parents to see him play. They typically watch his ODU games over the Internet.

Playing for his national team will also continue a Lee family tradition: His father, Gerald Sr., joined the team in 1992 at age 41 after becoming a citizen.

The senior Lee, who grew up in Massachusetts, is still the all-time leading scorer in the Finnish League.

The younger Lee has not been home since last summer. He wasn't able to play for the junior team last year, because at age 20, he was too old. Now 21, he was invited to join the national team last winter, after a visit from coach Henrik Dettman.

Dettman watched the Monarchs play George Mason and Towson, his first glimpse of Lee in a couple of years.

"He said my off-ball defense is good, but my on-ball defense needs some improvement," Lee said. "He also said I need to shoot more from the outside."

At ODU, Lee is the team's primary low-post scorer. The European game is different, however, with less emphasis on physical play and athletic ability and more on ball movement and skill.

Lee had to adjust when he came to the Monarchs, and the big payoff came last year when he averaged 15.5 points and led ODU to a 25-10 record and CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship.

Now, Lee will have to adapt to international play again. Facing such high-level competition should only make him better, he said.

"Next year, hopefully, I'll come back a little wiser and more skilled," he said.

ODU coach Blaine Taylor hopes so, too. Taylor said he's maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship with Dettman.

Ideally, a summer of high-level international hoops will give Lee a leg up next season, he said.

"A lot of guys this time of year are just looking for a pickup game," Taylor said. "Just playing games with officials and a scoreboard is one thing, but he'll be playing against a who's who of international teams and players, and that's the kind of competition you seek."

Lee's looking forward to eating his mom's cooking, visiting some old friends and swimming in the lake in the home time he can squeeze in between games.

He's also looking forward to helping possibly put Finland on the basketball map. The sport is growing there, although it still ranks behind ice hockey, soccer and volleyball in popularity.

"It's an honor to play for your country," Lee said. "So I'm just going to help our team get to the European championships, and see what happens after that."

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com