BACKUP DUTIES DON'T GET LEE'S BACK UP\Ex-North Hollywood standout makes adjustments at Stanford.

Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer

The free-wheeling, improvisational days of Arthur Lee are on hold for a while.

He's too busy juggling classes at Stanford, basketball practice and Mike Montgomery's sophisticated offense.

But it's all been worthwhile. The 6-foot freshman guard from North Hollywood High School returns to the L.A. area this week a different player and different person.

"I have had to learn a lot," Lee said earlier this week as the second quarter of school began. "This has really been a learning experience, not only in basketball but with everything."

It wasn't that Lee had to make any major improvements in his game - he was a two-time All-City guard at North Hollywood. And he didn't have to work on his academics - he had a 3.8 grade-point average and a 1,200 SAT score.

But Lee knew when he signed the letter of intent with Stanford - and quickly figured out again when he began practice in October - that things were going to be different in Palo Alto. No more improvisation in running the offense, no more shoot-first, pass-second mentality and no more starting lineup, period.

Lee backs up All-Pacific-10 guard Brevin Knight, a confidentjunior who has mastered Montgomery's offense and led the Cardinal to the NCAA Tournament last season. This season, 24th-ranked Stanford is 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-10 going into Thursday night's showdown with UCLA at Pauley Pavilion.

Last year, Lee singlehandedly led the Huskies to the 4-A playoffs and a near upset of Crenshaw. This season he gives Knight some relief and plays the role of cheerleader.

"I'm here to help the team in whatever way I can," Lee said. "Things are really different, but I'm getting used to it. Everyone here is either at your level or better."

But he can't get complacent. With Knight in foul trouble, Lee played 13 minutes against San Francisco last month and scored eight points. He had three assists in 12 minutes against Harvard and logged a career-high 14 minutes against American University.

With a chronic stress fracture in his leg, Knight needs occasional rest and Lee is always prepared for action.

"He'll be in a learning situation," Montgomery said. "He's going to allow us to keep everyone fresh during the season."

But those spare minutes have been thrilling. Lee played six minutes in Stanford's 80-71 win over Arizona last Saturday, hitting a key second-half 3-pointer.

It was an especially satisfying win for Lee because he nearly signed with the Wildcats last fall. He chose Stanford because of its academic standing and the chance to play with Knight.

"That was probably my biggest basketball thrill," Lee said. "That game had a high intensity from beginning to end and I was glad to be a part of it. Now comes beating UCLA."

North Hollywood coach Steve Miller will be there Thursday, caught in the middle because he's a UCLA alumnus. Miller's been telling Lee since he signed with Stanford that he was going to cheer for UCLA and Arthur Lee.

"It's a real thrill to have one of your ballplayers playing in that type of game," Miller said. "I knew Arthur was capable of playing at this level and now he gets to play in Pauley Pavilion. I'll be rooting for him, not Stanford."

"I'll try not to be overwhelmed," Lee said. "But if we beat UCLA, that will take over as my biggest thrill. I know almost all the players and with the tradition of the organization, what it means, it would be great. But I'll just concentrate on doing my job."

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