Plenty Of Work Ahead For J.R. Morris

J.R. Morris, a 6-4, 195 pound off guard/swingman from Washington H.S. in Milwaukee, Wis., said he plans to transfer in the fall to Christian Faith Center in Creedmoor, N.C.

This is in an effort to get himself qualified. As reported by All Star Report a couple of days ago, Morris has confirmed a commitment to Illinois.

However, a lot of academic work needs to be accomplished over the next year. The big question is can it be successful in time for next year? Morris is planning to stay just one year at the prep school before moving on to the Division I ranks (academics permitting) in the fall of 2002. The amount of work to be done is challenging.

Morris enjoyed a tremendous junior season at Washington, averaging 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block.

And he was equally impressive at the St. Louis Eagles Invitational, where he led the Playground Warriors the the final four before the team bowed to a deeper Boo Williams squad.

Morris was unstoppable for much of the weekend, despite arriving to the tournament two games into pool play. He has the ability to make the difficult look seamless, whether it's finishing a difficult reverse lay-in in traffic on the baseline, or exploding to dunk the ball. Morris can finish with either hand at the rim, and he's very adept shooting off the dribble and kicking the ball to open teammates when defenses sag on him.

Morris previously told the Insiders Report back in May that he had a top two of UNLV and Maryland. Other programs on his list included Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Virginia, Marquette and Florida. Illinois appeared to gain a lot of strength over the past month.