It could be called a brush with greatness. But it's really more like a superstitious rubbing of elbows.

When Upper St. Clair High School boys' basketball coach Danny Holzer sees Sean Lee these days, Holzer goes through a quick ritual. First, he shakes hands with Lee, the former star athlete at Upper St. Clair. Then Holzer rubs arms with Lee.

"I do it just because I hope his success rubs off on me," Holzer said with a laugh.

When it comes to winning, Lee rubs people the right way.

Should we be the least bit surprised Lee played on a Penn State football team that had a 12-1 record last season? Lee wasn't an integral part of the team as a true freshman, playing mostly on special teams. But when star linebacker Paul Posluszny was injured in the Orange Bowl, Lee took over for Posluszny -- and Penn State won, of course.

Winning seems to follow Lee. In his three years as a starter on the Upper St. Clair football team, the Panthers had a 31-4 record. In his three seasons as a basketball starter, Upper St. Clair was 75-12.

That means Lee won almost every nine out of 10 times he stepped onto a court or field in high school. His overall winning percentage in the two sports was .869 (106 wins and 16 losses).

All the winning and all the talent he showed won Lee the Post-Gazette Male High School Athlete of the Year for the 2004-05 season. He will be honored at Sunday's Dapper Dan Dinner and Sports Auction at the Hilton Pittsburgh.

"He's a kid whose will to succeed is at least as great as his athleticism," Upper St. Clair football coach Jim Render said.

Lee wasn't a bit player in Upper St. Clair's football and basketball success, either. He was a star. He was one of the few athletes in the past quarter century to be selected to the Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 football all-star team and Fabulous Five basketball all-star team.

In football, Lee rushed for 1,240 yards on 187 carries as a senior and was a standout as a safety on defense. He helped Upper St. Clair to an 11-1 record.

In basketball, he averaged 21.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and made 49 3-pointers in leading Upper St. Clair to the WPIAL AAAA title. He scored 20 points in the title game and blocked a shot in the final few seconds to preserve a 57-55 win against Mt. Lebanon.

"I'd have to say winning the WPIAL might have been the most memorable moment [in his Upper St. Clair career]," Lee said. "Probably that game and beating McKeesport in football [in the WPIAL quarterfinals]."

At Penn State, he was a first-team linebacker in spring drills. That might change when the season starts and Posluszny is back from a knee injury. But Lee is expected to still see playing time at some linebacker position.