A sprained left knee kept Michael Lee off his feet for six weeks last summer.

The inactivity hit Lee where it hurts … right in the gut.

“I put on 10 pounds,” noted the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Lee, who ballooned to 226 pounds after feasting on his mother’s home cooking back home in Portland, Ore.

“I think I gained it because I wasn’t able to be active. I could ride the bike, but could do no running.”

The good news is it didn’t take mobile shooting guard Lee long to shed the excess flab after being cleared to resume running shortly after returning to campus in August.

“I lost it just getting back to school. I started lifting on a regular basis, playing again and running,” said Lee, who lost some valuable practice time as his knee healed without surgery.

“There was a lot of rust,” noted Lee, who averaged 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last season in his sixth man role. “My lateral movement was off, my timing was off. It was like my leg was behind me a bit.”

Eventually the strength returned in the knee, and Lee has high hopes for his junior campaign.

“I never try to feel I have anything to prove,” said Lee, who hit 60 of 122 shots a year ago for 49.2 percent, cashing 21 of 42 threes. He also was known for rugged defense on some of the opponents’ better players.

“I feel coming off last season … I feel I played a big role and showed some positive things.”

His season didn’t start all that well. Lee logged just four games in KU’s two losses at the Preseason NIT in New York. He didn’t play a minute in the consolation game against Florida and returned to Lawrence a confused young man.

“It was hard my freshman year. Nothing was working. I felt stuck, stranded, like what do I do next?” Lee said. “At the same time, I came here with Aaron (Miles, lifelong buddy from Portland who started from Day One). I enjoyed every minute of his success, but I wanted some success too.

“I worked hard in the offseason, then after we came back (from New York) last year I told Aaron, ‘Man if I’ve got to go through this another year, I am not gonna be here.’ I wasn’t even in practice mentally. I was out there floating around.

“Coach (Roy) Williams pulled me aside after the first practice when we got back and said, ‘Michael I know I haven’t really given you a fair chance to play, but what you showed me today is you don’t even want to play.’ Those were his exact words. I still remember that.

“From that point on, I stopped making excuses, that he is not letting me play. I said, ‘Maybe I’m not earning it.”’

From that point on, Lee gave 100 percent at practice and started to earn some playing time. He scored in double figures on five occasions, his breakout game an 11-point outing against Oregon in his hometown of Portland. He contributed eight boards in that game.

“I never really questioned my ability,” Lee said, “It was a matter of being on the court to show it. That game was a situation the opportunity presented itself. I was able to step in there and make some things happen. I think I played 20 minutes that game.”

Indeed, Lee logged a season high 20 minutes in the win at Oregon, and actually never dipped below double digits in minutes the rest of the season.

“I didn’t think it was sweeter when I was going through the struggle,” Lee said of his success. “Looking back on it now makes it that much sweeter.”

As for his junior season … I feel if I can continue to work hard, everything else will take care of itself. I am ready to fill any role on this team. I feel I’ve earned everything here. Nothing’s been given to me and I will continue to play as hard as I can every day and do what I can to help Kansas win.”