Yorkville’s LeBaron Lee Jr. knows his future lies on the baseball field.
When basketball season rolls around, however, the 6-foot-4 senior forward is ready to get back on the court.
Despite not participating in the Foxes’ summer program and attending only a handful of open gyms in the fall, Lee showed up to tryouts looking like one of the team’s best players.
“I give that credit to my dad,” Lee said. “That is how I got my basketball fight. I think it’s pride. I play with my heart. We love banging it up in the post. It’s always a battle.
“That’s the best part of the game — proving your strength. There’s nothing better than that.”
Lee is a throwback on the basketball court for Yorkville (12-3), scoring his points in the lane and from the free-throw line.
He ended up scoring 47 points on 16-for-31 shooting with 32 rebounds and six steals as the Foxes went 3-1 last week during the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York in Elmhurst.
“He is an old-school player,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said. “He doesn’t do it all on athleticism either. He has skill. He’s tough. He has good footwork.
“He does everything near the basket. He’s getting better finishing with his right hand as well.”
After being outrebounded in a 56-51 loss to Oswego, which starts five guards, rebounding and defense were the focus for the Foxes entering the tournament.
They responded by leading the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic in rebounding, averaging 31.5 a game. They also led in offensive rebounds, averaging 48, and opponent shooting percentage, averaging 35.8%.
“In the tournament, we wrote down ‘rebounding’ on the white board,” Lee said. “I took that personally and wanted to be the guy to get those rebounds and help the team in any way possible.
“It’s not all about scoring.”
Led by Lee and 6-10 Jason Jakstys, who was an all-tournament selection, Yorkville got back to what makes the Foxes successful.
“A team with our size, that shouldn’t happen,” Holakovsky said of the Oswego game. “That was a huge emphasis for us. Crashing the offensive glass with our height and our ability to get putbacks is huge for us.”
Holakovsky also realizes that Lee’s main focus has to be on the baseball field.
Lee, who signed with Illinois State in November, is ranked No. 5 for left-handed pitchers in the 2023 class, according to Prep Baseball Report.
“We understand where his priority is,” Holakovsky said. “We’re willing to work with him because of how good of a kid he is and how good of an athlete he is.
“He came to a few open gyms and that’s it. He comes in day one, and he’s still probably our best player. That’s just kind of how it works.”
As much as Lee loves playing basketball, he has the wisdom to know his future path. He has a fastball that runs up into the low 90s.
Others have taken notice, too.
“I find that baseball is my true passion,” Lee said. “It definitely shows on the mound. I really think I can take it far. I’ve had a couple scouts to reach out in professional baseball.
“If that’s going to be what’s going to happen, that’s good, but I’m also prepared to go to college and play there. Either way, I’ll be prepared.”
Lee still has half a season on the court, however, before the ground thaws and his attention turns to baseball for the rest of his athletic career.
Holakovsky is going to enjoy every minute of it.
“It’s not like we allow every kid to miss summer camp to go to the water park,” Holakovsky said. “He’s traveling out of state, pitching a lot. We’re just glad he keeps playing for us.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.