He won the Naismith Award as a senior in 1978. His 1,735 career points rank second all-time in school history.,”

Alfred "Butch" Lee became forever synonymous with basketball greatness at Marquette after leading the Warriors to their only national title in 1977. At Marquette, individual honors poured down on him.

He won the Naismith Award as a senior in 1978. His 1,735 career points rank second all-time in school history. His No. 15 rightfully hangs from the rafters.

In Al McGuire's last game at the helm, Lee dropped 19 points on North Carolina to lead Marquette to a 67-59 victory. For his effort, the 6-foot-1 guard was named most outstanding player of the Final Four.

Incredibly enough, the 1977 NCAA Championship game fails to be the game that stands out in his mind.

"The championship was big," Lee said. "I made the cover of Sports Illustrated after that, so that was really something, but my best game was in the Olympics."

If one looks back to the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, Lee's name will not be found on the U.S. roster. The opportunity to try out never presented itself.

"I asked Coach McGuire for a chance at the trials (in 1974)," Lee said. "But he already chose three of the guys to go."

A sophomore at the time of the Olympic tryouts, Lee said he was not overly concerned. After all, he was young and he knew he had a good chance to play for his native Puerto Rico. (Lee would become the first Puerto Rican to play in the NBA.)

Sure enough, the 19-year-old Lee made the Puerto Rican national team, and as fate would have it, he faced off against the team he never had the chance to be a part of. Team USA was coached by Dean Smith and featured names like Adrian Dantley, Quinn Buckner, Scott May, Phil Ford and Walter Davis.

Much like the international basketball scene today, the

U. S. displayed the greatest talent in the world. Entering the 1976 Olympics, the U.S. team had taken home the gold medal each of the seven times it sent a team.

"Some guys on the team didn't think we had a chance," said Lee, now 50 and living in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

To the surprise of those watching, Puerto Rico kept pace in the first half. Thanks to Lee's shooting, Puerto Rico went to the break with the game knotted at 51. As the game went deep into the second half, Lee kept firing and the shots kept falling.

"The whole night I took good shots, and they were going in," Lee recalled. "I played the whole game and felt pretty comfortable out there."

That's an understatement. Lee made 15-of-18 from the field, scoring 35 points. Keep in mind that no three-point line existed at the time.

And it could have been better. With the U.S. leading 93-92 and eight seconds left on the clock, Puerto Rico had possession and a chance to win the game. Everyone knew the ball would be in Lee's hands. The mighty upset bid ended when Lee got called for a charge.

"It was one of those calls that could've gone either way," Lee said. "Sometimes you get the call, and sometimes you don't."

Ford drained the ensuing free throws for the U.S. to put the game out of reach. In vain, Puerto Rico scored a final basket to fall 95-94.

"I would have liked to come out on top, but I'm glad I was a part of it," Lee said. "It was a big game on a big stage. We lost, but made Puerto Rico proud."

Back at Marquette for what would be a memorable junior year, Lee got a little revenge. Nine months after falling just short in the Olympics, Lee again faced a Dean Smith-coached team that included Ford and Davis. Again, Lee could not be stopped. But this time, in the big game on the big stage, Lee came out on top.

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