[1] He started playing basketball while attending a one-room school nicknamed "Corncob College" in North Codorus Township, York County.
[2][3] He attended West York High School and played basketball on the varsity team that won its league title in 1943.
[2] Lentz was about to graduate high school in 1944 when he turned 18 and received a summons to join the United States Army for World War II.
[2] On February 23, 1945, Lentz and another soldier delivered a radio to a front-line unit by sprinting across 500 yards of open territory while under enemy fire; he received a Bronze Star Medal for heroic service.
[2] Lentz was recruited to play for the Baltimore Bullets of the National Basketball Association but turned down the offer because he had to relocate and received no financial improvements.
[1][2] Aged 90, Lentz began speaking engagements at local nursing homes where he recounted his personal experiences during World War II.