SWEDISH SWISH—Oak Park High sophomore point guard Ron Lee and his family moved from Sweden to the U.S. when he was in seventh grade. Lee’s father played in the NBA for six seasons. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers Ron Lee is making a name for himself.

A sophomore point guard for the Oak Park High boys’ basketball team, Lee has been a dynamo for the Eagles.

“He’s the complete package,” said senior forward Cameron Stevens. “He has the ability to carry the team when needed.”

Naturally basketball is embedded in Lee’s soul.

His father, Ron Lee, was a feisty NBA guard who starred for the Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Jazz, Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons. The elder Lee led the NBA in steals in 1977-78 for Phoenix, and he remains the alltime leading scorer at the University of Oregon.

The younger Lee was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. Of course, he’s played basketball for a while, picking up a ball at age 5. But he also tried his hand at ice hockey and soccer.

STOP AND POP—Eagle sophomore Ron Lee, right, shoots over the top of Cameron Stevens during practice Tuesday afternoon. IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers He moved to Oak Park in the seventh grade and stuck with hoops.

Now Lee can become the greatest Swedish-born basketball player since Detroit Piston second year forward Jonas Jerebko.

Lee, 16, started at point guard in his freshman campaign in 2009-10, helping Oak Park earn a share of the Tri-Valley League title with Oaks Christian.

As he continues his ascent, Lee wants Oak Park to retain its grip at the top of the league standings.

So far, so good.

Lee leads the team in scoring while the Eagles (11-9 overall) share the Tri-Valley perch with Oaks Christian. Both schools were 3- 0 in league entering Wednesday night’s games.

Oak Park’s ranked 16th in CIF-Southern Section Division 4AA coaches’ poll, while the Lions are No. 1 in Division 4A.

The goals are simple for Lee and the Eagles.

“We want to win the TVL championship, beat Oaks Christian and get far in the playoffs,” Lee said.

Second- year head coach Aaron Shaw has the fortune of watching Lee grow up.

“He’s matured physically and mentally,” Shaw said. “He continues to work on his game. He’s always working.”

Lee is a tenacious slasher. He can finish acrobatic layups with contact. Although he’s a scoring point guard, Lee makes good decisions on the court.

“Although he scores a lot, he’s an unselfish player,” Shaw said. “He has a good feel for the game and innate ability to make the right play.”

The 6-foot-2 sophomore said he’s worked on dribbling with his head on a swivel and improving his outside shot.

He has completely revamped his shooting form. After heaving jumpers from his chest, he’s now releasing shots over his head with improved accuracy. The adjustment, which he said came naturally, helps him get shots off against taller defenders.

Shaw hopes Lee can develop consistent 3-point range.

Running a system that focuses on defense and encourages running transition offense suits Lee’s strengths.

“I like to push it up,” Lee said. “I like to move up and down the court fast.”

The Eagle wants to keep improving, take a stronger leadership role and bring the team closer together. He’d like to eventually earn a college scholarship.

“That’s my dream,” Lee said.

Lee’s sister, Cassandra, also played basketball at Oak Park. The sophomore said he’ll consider playing volleyball for head coach Patrick Quinn in the spring.

Life in Oak Park is very different than in Stockholm.

“In Sweden, there aren’t many cars,” he said. “We walked around a lot.”

And basketball?

“The competition is better here,” Lee said.

The Eagle wants to keep pushing the pace.

“He’s an easy person to get along with,” Shaw said. “He’s always listening. He always wants to improve and continue to get better. He’s still young—there’s still a lot he can work on.

“He’s a humble guy who loves to play basketball.”