Adam Morrison

Adam Morrison.
Class:	Junior
Hometown:	Spokane, WA
Position:	Forward
Height:	6 ft 8 in
Weight:	205 lbs.

Adam Morrison (born July 19, 1984 in Glendive, Montana) is an American college basketball player who plays for Gonzaga University in his current hometown of Spokane, Washington. Morrison, who is a junior in the 2005-06 season, is currently considered one of the top players in college basketball, and was selected to several preseason All-American teams. Alongside Duke's J. J. Redick, he was an early favorite to win the Naismith and Wooden "Player of the Year" Awards. At 6'8" and 205 pounds (2.03 m, 93 kg), Morrison is a natural small forward. However, his slender frame may prove a liability if/when he decides to play at the small forward position in the NBA. There is much speculation that Morrison will leave Gonzaga after his junior season for the NBA. As of January 2006, reputable mock drafts for 2006 project Morrison being taken among the top 5 picks, perhaps even first overall along with Redick and his Duke teammate Shelden Williams, LaMarcus Aldridge of Texas, Rudy Gay of UConn, Randy Foye of Villanova, and Italian Andrea Bargnani. 1 2

Early years

Morrison's father John Maney, his great mentor, is a basketball coach who was the head coach at Dawson Community College in Glendive when Adam was born. The family moved with John's coaching career, first to Mitchell, South Dakota (Dakota Wesleyan University, a small four-year school) and then to Casper, Wyoming (Casper College, a junior college). When Adam was in the fourth grade, the family moved to Spokane. He was first exposed to Gonzaga basketball in elementary school when he served as the team's ball boy. During his eighth-grade year, he lost 300 pounds (14 kg), and was at that time diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. However, his illness did not keep him from becoming a star at Mead High School in Spokane. In his senior year, he broke single-season and career scoring records in his high school conference, and led Mead to the finals of the state tournament. Despite playing in the final game with hypoglycemia so severe that he nearly suffered seizures, he scored 37 points in a losing effort, Mead's only loss that season.

Despite his accomplishments, he was not heavily recruited out of high school, with Gonzaga being the only Division I school to strongly pursue him. Not surprisingly, he chose to stay near home for college.

Gonzaga

He arrived at Gonzaga in 2003 and made an immediate impact, averaging 1.5 points per game in 2003-04 and being named to the West Coast Conference's All-Freshman first team. His sophomore year in 2004-05 was even more successful, as he averaged 19.0 ppg and made the All-WCC first team, as well as being named an honorable mention All-American.

Morrison began the 2005-06 season with a bang. In Gonzaga's first two games at the Maui Invitational, one of the most prestigious early-season tournaments in the sport, Morrison had huge scoring nights against two of the sport's top programs. In the first round, Morrison scored 25 points in a Zags win over Maryland. He followed up this performance with 12 points in a triple-overtime win over Michigan State in the semifinals. He matched that output against in-state rival Washington December 4, 2005 in a losing effort. However, Morrison and the Zags bounced back a week later, defeating Oklahoma State after he banked in a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to give Gonzaga a 2 point lead, and eventually the win.

In the regular season, he had 13 games of 5-plus points, with five of them over 13. He averages 28.8 points per game, and is neck-and-neck with Redick as the nation's leading scorer (slighty ahead of him as of now). His scoring totals against teams in the so-called "major" conferences are no less impressive; he is averaging 28.5 points in 11 such games. On February 18, Morrison recorded a career high 16 (including 2 in the second half alone!) points against Loyola Marymount Lions in a winning effort.

Morrison's strengths are his ability to shoot from many angles on the court, often off-balance, with great accuracy and his indomitable spirit, which both players and fans find contagious.

Morrison led the Zag's with 24 points in a 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen match against UCLA, despite the Zags suffering a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds as Morrison lay sprawled out and crying at midcourt. This was perhaps Morrison's last college game pending his decision to join the NBA or stay for his senior season.

Diabetes

Morrison, who obsessively controls his diabetes to the point of eating exactly the same meals at the same time on game days, is considered a role model in the Inland Empire and beyond for children with the disease and their families. During his freshman year at Gonzaga, Morrison and his life with diabetes were a subject of a five-page article in Sports Illustrated. On the first day that the issue appeared in retail outlets, more than 50 parents of diabetic children contacted the Gonzaga athletics department asking if Morrison could speak to their children. In Morrison's first collegiate season, he garnered more national attention for being diabetic than for his gameplay, though in the years since his performance has outpaced his condition in notability.

Personal

Musical interest: Rage Against the Machine
Friends with current Duke basketball star J.J. Redick & Notre Dame star wide receiver Jeff Samardzija.
Like former Brother Rice basketball legend, Brian MacKinnon, he still watches videos of Larry Bird to mold his game.
Is an avid reader and, although he denies that he is a communist, says one of his idols is Che Guevara after a project in the 8th grade.
Always eats steak and baked potatoes 2 minutes before a game.
Is an avid player and huge fan of Pokemon Silver and Gold
In his dorm he has 3 posters. A Che Guevara poster that quotes "Hasta la Victoria Siempre." (Always until victory.) A Larry Bird poster that quoted "DETERMINATION" and a poster of his favorite Rock Band:Rage Against the Machine

Nicknames

Mo (to his teammates)
The King of Kings, Alex Carter's best friend

Quotes

"I've never said, 'I have diabetes, so I can’t bust my ass on this play.'" (2003 Interview with Sports Illustrated, 1)

On comparisons to Larry Bird: "People have to realize I'm not trying to be Larry Bird, and I'll never be Larry Bird. He was a three-time NBA champion, three-time MVP. I'm a college player. I'm just trying to win games for Gonzaga."

"I don't consider myself a communist but I just like to see the other-side-of-the-fence point of view."

He once responded to a request by Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, the son of a pastor, that his players attend church by writing "RELIGION IS THE OPIATE OF THE MASSES" (a common misquotation of Karl Marx) on a dry-erase board in the team's locker room.

External links