KU basketball will retire Marcus Morris’ jersey this month, Bill Self announces
Marcus Morris, the Big 12 player of the year and second-team AP All-America selection during the 2010-11 season, will have his jersey hung in the south rafters of Allen Fieldhouse at halftime of the Feb. 17 Kansas-Iowa State game, KU coach Bill Self announced Monday.
Morris, a nine-year NBA veteran out of Philadelphia, averaged 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds a game in 2010-11 for the Jayhawks, who went 35-3 overall, won the Big 12 regular season and postseason tourney titles and reached the Elite Eight.
“We knew when Marcus left school in 2011 that his jersey would be retired,” 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.”
Marcus Morris, 30, averaged 12.8 points and 6.1 rebounds as a sophomore and 7.4 points and 4.7 rebounds as a freshman. He turned pro after his junior season. He was the No. 14 overall pick (by Houston) in the 2011 NBA Draft.
“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, 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.”
Marcus Morris has career averages of 12.1 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. He recently was traded from the New York Knicks to Los Angeles Clippers. He’s also played for Houston, Phoenix, Detroit and Boston.
Markieff Morris averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in 2010-11 for the Jayhawks. He was the No. 13 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft and has averaged 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while playing for Phoenix, Washington, Oklahoma City and Detroit in his nine-year NBA career.
After being chosen Big 12 player of the year in 2011, Marcus Morris said: “Coach Self said it a few times that he thought I could be (player of year in league). Winning basically makes that possible. I don’t think it’s so much being the best player in the conference. I think it’s because we won and how we weren’t picked to win the Big 12 but we won it.”
