Morrison won’t jump to NBA
Gonzaga University men’s basketball coach Mark Few heard what he wanted to hear from Adam Morrison on Tuesday afternoon when the sophomore forward announced he will remain a Bulldog for at least one more season.
Morrison, according to Few, went against the predictions of some college basketball experts by deciding to return for his junior season at GU rather than declare for this summer’s NBA draft.
“That’s great news for our program,” Few said. “It really springboards us into the 2006 season, because Adam was probably the primary reason we made the late-season run we made.”
Morrison, a 6-foot-8, 205-pounder out of Mead High School, where he became the Greater Spokane League’s career scoring leader with 1,904 points, averaged a team-high 19 points per game last season as the Bulldogs finished 26-5 overall. The Zags also won a fifth-consecutive West Coast Conference regular-season title with a 12-2 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Texas Tech, 71-69.
Morrison was dominant during the latter stages of the season and averaged 26 points and 7.5 rebounds in GU’s two NCAA games against Winthrop and Tech. He was also named the most valuable player in this year’s WCC tournament, where he averaged 27.5 points in wins over San Diego and Saint Mary’s.
Few said a report that aired on ESPN television shortly after the Bulldogs’ NCAA loss to Texas Tech said Morrison was leaning toward declaring for the NBA draft.
“But that just wasn’t true,” Few added, “even though we checked things out, did our due diligence and found out he was definitely on some (NBA) peoples’ radar.”
Few said he sat down recently with Morrison and his family to discuss the future of his sophomore star.
“We called some people we knew would give us the truth and help us sort out the facts,” Few explained. “There was no question Adam was part of some teams’ draft plans. He really raised his stock and gained some positive momentum in that regard near the end of the season.
“But he said he loves playing with the guys here. He really values the time he has spent in college so far, and he said he still has some unfinished business to tend to at Gonzaga.”
Immediately following the loss to Texas Tech, Morrison said he planned to take a few days off and then start working toward making the Bulldogs better next year. Still, many thought his post-game comments might have been based solely on the emotion of the moment and that he would ultimately declare for the NBA draft.
Few said Morrison asked him to make the announcement that he was staying because he didn’t want to deal with the media on his own.
“Adam said he really didn’t want to talk about it,” Few explained. “But I can tell you I’m pumped up about his decision.”
Attempts to reach Morrison late Tuesday night were unsuccessful, but his father, John, said both he and his wife, Wanda, were in complete agreement with their son’s decision.
“It wasn’t something we thought he would have to deal with his sophomore year,” John Morrison said. “His mother and I both wanted to make sure he got as much information on his situation as he could get, but ultimately, it was his decision to make. And we think he made the right one.”
Few was faced with a similar situation last summer when there was speculation Ronny Turiaf might forego his senior season at GU to enter the NBA.
With Morrison back, Few will have four starters and his top three players off the bench returning from last year’s team. In addition, the Zags will regain the services of senior shooting guard Nathan Doudney, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, and add those of 6-11 freshman forward Josh Heytvelt, who redshirted last winter.