Marcus Morris’ KU jersey No. 22 to be retired in Allen Fieldhouse rafters Monday night
Kansas senior Udoka Azubuike, who has dreams of playing in the NBA next season, on Tuesday tuned into an entertaining matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers, the third-best team in the Western Conference, and the Philadelphia 76ers, the fifth-place team in the East.
That’s the game in which former KU forward Marcus Morris of the Clippers and ex-KU center Joel Embiid of the Sixers engaged in a shouting/shoving match in the game’s final minutes.
“I mean I was actually watching that game. I was, ‘No, not two Jayhawks fighting,’’’ 7-footer Azubuike said with a smile after grabbing 17 rebounds and scoring 15 points in KU’s 87-70 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.
“That’s the intensity of the game. He shows he is really competitive. He’s a really emotional player,” Azubuike added of the 30-year-old Morris, who Monday night returns to Allen Fieldhouse. His No. 22 KU jersey will be hung in the south rafters of the fieldhouse at halftime of the KU-Iowa State game, set for an 8 p.m. tipoff on ESPN.
“That’s going to be a special night for him. I’m excited for him and happy for him,” Azubuike said.
Morris and Embiid didn’t exchange punches during the altercation in the Sixers’ 110-103 home victory over the Clippers. Cooler heads prevailed between the two players, who actually scrapped two other times — in 2018, when Morris was a member of the Boston Celtics and earlier this season when Morris was with the New York Knicks.
Morris, who averages 19.0 points and 5.4 rebounds combined as a member of the Knicks and Clippers in 2019-20, no doubt is an aggressive player — but also a popular one. His phone has been overflowing with well-wishes since KU coach Bill Self’s Feb. 10 announcement that Morris would have his jersey retired.
“Guys have been congratulating me and saying it is well-deserved,” said Morris. He was chosen Big 12 player of the year and consensus second-team All-America in 2010-11, his third and final season at Kansas.
The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Morris helped KU win three Big 12 regular-season titles and two Big 12 Tournaments. KU went as far as the Elite Eight of the NCAAs his junior campaign.
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).
“A lot of my teammates I played with, even the past players … I saw Aaron Miles down there at Golden State (where former KU guard Miles is assistant coach) and he was very happy for me. We shared a good talk,” Morris said in a teleconference Friday.
Morris on Monday will be supported by his twin brother, former KU forward Markieff Morris, his mom, Angel, his girlfriend, Amber, and son Marcus Jr., who was born on July 20, 2018.
“This means a lot to me, to go up there with the great players in Kansas history … as far as I’ve come from Philadelphia,” said Philly native Morris. “I’ve been through a lot of things. It means a lot. I can’t wait.
“If you told me this when I was younger I probably wouldn’t believe you. The history there means so much. It takes you back to arguably the greatest player in basketball history in Wilt (Chamberlain, also from Philly). To be able to share that with him and be up in the rafters is very special for me.”
Marcus, truth be told, wishes his jersey could go up in the rafters with Markieff.
Marcus averaged 12.6 points and 6.2 rebounds a game in three years at KU; Markieff, who is also a nine-year NBA veteran, averaged 8.5 points and 6.1 boards as a three-year Jayhawk.
“I feel this is an honor for us both,” Marcus said. “Without Kieff there’s no me. We took this journey together. If it was up to me I would say ‘Morris twins’ not just ‘Morris’ (on jersey in rafters) because he deserves it just as much as I do.
“We pushed each other when things weren’t what they could be for us. Our freshman year we thought this (KU) might not be the best place for us. We stuck together and continued to work hard, continued to push each other.”
Marcus Morris related the story of how he and Markieff met with KU coach Self about transferring during their freshman season in 2008-09.
“Our freshman year we felt we had to compete against each other. We weren’t too fond of that. We wanted to share the court together,” Marcus Morris said. “We walked into coach’s office to see what he thought about it. We said, ‘Coach, we came to college to share the same court, not compete against each other. We want to play somewhere together.’
“He basically started laughing and told us, ‘Go work on your game or go get better because you ain’t going nowhere.’ He said, ‘Unpack your bags.’ Basically that’s what we did,” Marcus stated.
KU coach Self is well aware of Marcus’ love for his brother.
“The first thing he said (when told his jersey would be hung in rafters) was not, ‘Thanks,’ but ‘What about Kieff?’’’ Self related.
“I said, ‘Kieff didn’t win player of the year.’ (Marcus replied), ‘Well he should have. He could have,’’’ Self added smiling. “I bet they both try to speak on Monday. It’s pretty remarkable to see how those guys have matured as players even though they both are vocal and express themselves emotionally on the court from time to time. I think it’s been really fun to watch them grow.”
KU assistant coach Kurtis Townsend said the Jayhawks coaches understood the bond between Marcus and Markieff.
“They have like a sixth sense being twins,” Townsend said. “It translated to the court. They could find each other on the court. When both were out there together they were unbelievable.”
The Morris twins’ three KU teams won 51 of 52 games in Allen Fieldhouse. On Monday, KU (22-3, 11-1) will be trying for win No. 800 in the 65-year-old building.
Yes, a victory over Iowa State (11-14, 4-8) would give KU an 800-114 all-time mark in Allen.
“Oh man, what can I say. The fieldhouse is a historical building,” Morris said. “The fans are great. They are the best fans in basketball. Man, just to be able to get back up there one more time and get my jersey retired is amazing. If we could go back one more time and play a game together in Kansas I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
