Lee Melchionni

Lee Melchionni (born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on September 30, 1983) is a former collegiate men's basketball player in the NCAA. He played with the Duke Blue Devils and was number 13. Melchionni played primarily at the forward position. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=11142] .

Melchionni comes from a family rich with talented athletes. His father, Gary Melchionni played basketball with Duke and was team captain. Gary was also an All-ACC performer and was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the 2nd Round of the 1973 NBA Draft. His uncle, Bill Melchionni played college basketball with Villanova while in college and played with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets while playing in the NBA. Bill's number was retired by Villanova and the Nets.

High school

Melchionni was a high honorable mention All-American in the 2001-02, high honorable mention McDonald's All-America in 2002, Lee also ranked among the nation's top 100 recruits by Basketball News and Hoop Scoop. He was a two-time all-state selection(2001-2002), three-time all-county selection and two-time all-city performer. He was the MVP of the 2002 Prime Time Shootout. During his senior year at Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania he averaged 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.0 steals. Melchionni finished with over 1200 points and 800 rebounds. He also averaged 16 points, a team-best 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals as a junior. He helped lead Germantown to a 27-3 record and a number 17 national ranking by USA Today in 2000-01. He averaged 12.0 points,6.0 rebounds and 2.0 rebounds as a and averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a [freshman] . He was also achieved success playing soccer, he scored 44 goals as a freshman and sophomore.

Collegiate

Melchionni played with the Duke Blue Devils and was number 13. Melchionni played primarily at the forward position.

Freshman Season (2002-03) Melchionni averaged only 1.0 points and 0.7 boards a game while he was freshman. He had a season high eight points in a game against the Florida State Seminoles.

Sophomore Season (2003-04) He averaged 1.5 points and 0.7 boards in 27 games coming off the bench. He doubled his playing time from the previous season with 145 minutes. He saw some action from the bench against the University of Connecticut in the Final Four. In the first round of the NCAA tournament he notched six points, two rebounds, and one assist against Alabama State. He also registered a career high nine points in a game against the University of Portland.

Junior Season (2004-2005) He played in all 33 games and started 14 times while he averaged 7.7 points and 3.4 boards. His 7.7 points per game average ranked fourth on the team. He shot .406 from the field (80 of 197) and .396 from three-point range (57 of 144). His three-point percentage ranked third on the squad and 11th in the ACC. His numbers improved to 8.9 points per game in ACC play. During his Junior year Melchionni matched a career high against St. John's University with a total of 16 points and four three-pointers and surpassed a career high with nine rebounds.

Senior Season (2005-06) In his final year with the Blue Devils he averaged 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. He also averaged 19.8 minutes per game and played in all 36 of Duke's games. He recorded 16 points versus Davidson College, 12 points against Indiana, 18 against Valparaiso, 17 points and 5 three-point field goals versus Wake Forest, 10 against Clemson, recorded 12 points against N.C. State, and 13 points against Duke's rival UNC.

External links

* [http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/players/playerpage/438973 CBS Sportsline player page]
* [http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=152121 Player page at GoDuke.com]