Gonzaga Getting Sweet Shooter
One of the top shooters this past season in the Pacific Northwest, if not all
of the West Coast, was no doubt Adam Morrison, a 6-8, 205 pound small forward
Advertisement
from Spokane (WA) Mead HS. He signed with Gonzaga in the fall.
A pure shooter who can score from anywhere and everywhere on the court,
Morrison possesses a sweet-looking high release that is reminiscent of Larry
Bird. Thanks in part to his scoring prowess (a 29.7 point average his senior
season), Mead took an undefeated record into the state 4A tournament finals.
While Mead eventually fell to Seattle (WA) Franklin HS, 67-55, for the state
title, Morrison did his best to keep the team alive with 37 points. In fact,
Morrison's 127 total points in the tournament tied the all-time record. He was
named tournament MVP.
Morrison recently put his sweet shot on display in the Northwest Shootout,
hitting from all over the court. He shot 14-for-21 from the field (including
2-for-4 from three-point range) on his way to 36 points in Washington's 106-98
victory, only the second time in the event's ten year history that Team
Washington had defeated their southern neighbors in the game.
"Big win for us guys that were a part of it, because we can say that we won,"
said Morrison. "Some great teams in the past haven't won, so we can say we won
- that's how big it was for us."
But Morrison is more than simply a shooter. For example, his 11 rebounds in
the Northwest Shootout tied for the team lead and he also dished out four
assists. But there's no doubt that scoring is his forte. And it all comes
from effort.
"I always try to do the little things out there and get hustle points," he
said.
If there's one thing that Morrison has shown throughout his high school career,
it's a fantastic work ethic. Even after he signed in the fall with Gonzaga, he
continued to pound the pavement in an effort to get even better.
"Every day I tried to work hard," he said. "As the season continued, I just
kept rolling, trying to improve my game every day."
Morrison realizes his reputation as a shooter (it's no surprise he models his
game after Bird). But he knows he still has things to work on in order to
succeed at Gonzaga.
"My strength is shooting," he said. "But obviously I need to work on getting
faster and stronger for the college level. And take people off the dribble
more."
Physically, Morrison has a nice set of broad shoulders, and has grown a few
inches over the past two years. But as solid as his frame is at the current
moment, Morrison's body could still use some filling out. To that end, he
could spend his freshman year redshirting. Gonzaga has long had a tradition of
redshirting players their freshman years - even players that could immediately
contribute; former stars Matt Santangelo and Zach Gourde are two such examples.
But the jury is still out whether or not that will be the plan with Morrison.
"They're going to wait until November and see how the summer goes and how
strong I get," he said. "It's still a possibility, but we don't know yet for
sure."
What's even more amazing about Morrison than his shooting and scoring prowess
is the fact he is a Type 1 diabetic. He monitors his blood-sugar level during
timeouts.
Be sure to keep an eye out for Morrison, as he will no doubt be a name to watch
whenever he starts suiting up for Mark Few.
Jed Tai is a senior writer for Hoopville.com.