NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt junior guard Saben Lee has announced that he will remain in the 2020 NBA Draft and forego his final year of eligibility with the Commodores.
“I would like to thank Saben for his contributions to the Vanderbilt men’s basketball program,” Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse said. “We wish him well as he follows his dream of playing in the NBA. I feel he’s capable of developing into an elite defender at the next level. Offensively, he excels at getting to the basket and finishing with high variations because of his length and athleticism. He improved his outside shot this season and will continue to get better and better with reps.
“We wish him and his family much success going forward on his professional journey.”
Lee finished his Vanderbilt career with 1,338 points, which ranks 23rd on Vanderbilt’s all-time scoring list. He was named second-team All-SEC by the league’s coaches as a junior after scoring 30 or more points four times, including a career-high 38-point performance at Alabama in a Commodore win.
His 38-point performance tied for eighth by a Commodore in a game and second-most by a Vanderbilt student-athlete in a road game (Clyde Lee had 41 points at Kentucky on Jan. 2, 1965).
His four 30-point games tied for second-most in a Vandy season with Tom Hagan (1968-69), Shan Foster (2007-08), Matt Freije (2003-04) and Clyde Lee (1964-65; 1965-66). Dan Langhi had five 30-point games in 1999-2000.
Lee finished his junior season with 594 points, the 10th-best single-season total in Vanderbilt history. His season point total is fourth all-time among juniors.
Lee finished the season ranked fourth overall among SEC players in scoring (18.6), sixth in assists (4.2), eighth in field goal percentage (48.3%), second in free throws made (155), second in free throws attempted (206) and seventh in steals (1.53). His free throws made and attempted ranked 18th and 20th nationally, respectively.
He claimed two SEC Player of the Week honors for his junior season, the first coming after his then career-high 25-point performance against Buffalo. He became the first Commodore to win the award since Jeff Roberson on Feb. 19, 2018.
He also was named Player of the Week in the final week of the regular season when he averaged 28.5 points, six rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in wins at Alabama and against South Carolina.
The junior scored a then-career-high 33 points in a home win over LSU and tallied 34 points against Georgia at Memorial Gym. He finished the season with 12 20-point games.
Lee joins teammate Aaron Nesmith who has also declared for the 2020 NBA Draft.
