LAWRENCE – A former Consensus All-America selection and Big 12 Player of the Year, KU great Marcus Morris will have his No. 22 jersey retired at halftime versus Iowa State on Feb. 17.
In 2011, his junior season, Morris was a Consensus All-America second-team selection Big 12 Player of the Year as well as an All-Big 12 first-team honoree. The Philadelphia-native forward led the Jayhawks to the 2011 Big 12 Championship title where he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Two weeks later, Morris was named to the NCAA Tournament Southwest Regional All-Tournament Team as KU advanced to the Elite Eight.
“We knew when Marcus left school in 2011 that his jersey would be retired,” KU head coach Bill Self said. “When you say Marcus, you have to include his twin brother, Markieff, because they did everything together. It’s amazing to see the growth they had from when they got here. They were both good players that were a little lazy, you had to beg them to give a second effort. Then they got used to the culture, the grind, the routine and took off. I have never enjoyed coaching a twosome that I felt like has as good a feel for the game as what they had.”
“I’m excited to be getting my jersey hung in the rafters at Allen Fieldhouse,” Morris said. “But this is not only about me, it’s my teammates, especially Keef (Markieff, coach Self, the other coaches, my family, the fans and everybody who helped me along the way. To have my jersey up there with other great players like Wilt (Chamberlain, Danny (Manning, and Paul (Pierce, is an honor. I look forward to coming back to KU where I have so many great memories.”
In three seasons at Kansas, Morris started 91 of 109 games played and averaged 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He was a two-time all-conference performer and a member of the Big 12 All-Rookie team his freshman season in 2008-09. Morris helped KU win three Big 12 regular-season titles, two Big 12 Tournaments and was 52-1 in games played in Allen Fieldhouse, including back-to-back 18-0 records in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Morris’ 1,371 career points rank No. 29 on the KU career scoring list, and his 676 rebounds tie him for 19th with Paul Pierce (1996-98). He led KU in scoring in 2010-11 and his 654 points that season rank No. 15 on the KU single-season list.
“I’m very proud of both Marcus and Markieff,” Self said. “I know how much this will mean to Marcus as he brings his own family back for this honor. He and Keef will always be remembered for the competitive spirit they played with and also for the great teammates they were.”
Morris was a lottery pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, selected No. 14 overall by the Houston Rockets, one selection after twin brother Markieff. Marcus Morris is in his ninth season in the NBA and is currently with the Los Angeles Clippers. His jersey will be the first No. 22 retired at Kansas.
--kuathletics.com--