#ProToppers: Lee Doing His Part, Evans Healthy

It’s been a while since we’ve updated you fine folk on our beloved professional former Hilltoppers, so what better time than now to give you a quick update?
Courtney Lee, who had a solid preseason and even started a couple of games, has been a bench player so far in the season. He has yet to start any of the 17 games in which he has played, but has been sidelined 2 of the past 5 games with a sprained knee. His last time out was Tuesday against Milwaukee, where he logged 15:39 on the court and contributed 11 points. The Celtics are in action on ESPN tonight as they host the Denver Nuggets.
Jeremy Evans missed the first 13 games of the year, but is back and playing for his Utah Jazz. Mr. Evans has played in seven games so far, all coming off the bench, where he is averaging 8 points, 4 boards in 19 minutes per game. Evans missed the Jazz’s last game, but in his last time out, he grabbed 6 boards but only netted 3 points in 17 minutes of play. While the stats aren’t there yet, we are glad to see him back in the lineup. Utah faces the Trail Blazers tonight.
Playing with our neighbors to the north, Jamal Crook is helping out the new Ottawa Skyhawks in the Canadian Basketball League. Crook has played in all 13 games so far this season, where he 45 percent from the floor and averaging 13 points a game, and averaging 73 percent from the free throw line. Crook is in the top 10 in the league in one category, steals (9th, with 18), and top 25 in the league in six other categories (assists, assist/turnover ratio, steals per game, total scoring, assists per game and free throw percentage). The Skyhawks sit just above .500 at 7-6, which is good enough to have them at 5th place in the league. The Skyhawks will be back in action tomorrow night as Ottawa travels to Halifax.
Finally, the feel good story of Bobby Rainey just gets better and better. Of the 5 games he has played with the Bucs, he has started 2 of them, and is averaging 4.3 yards per carry and has totaled 306 yards on just 73 carries. Rainey’s TD total isn’t where he, or we, would like it to be at 3 rushing scores, but he has proven he can be a dual threat back, as he has 5 catches for about 25 yards, and a recieving score. After his performance against the Falcons, Rainey earned the Week 11 NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Bobby and Tampa are back in action Sunday as the Bucs host the Bills.
Slowly but surley, WKU is taking over the sports world. Okay, maybe not, but it sure does feel good to see our fellas succeed, and hear “Western Kentucky” announced over the air.
Stand up and cheers.