KU basketball’s Arterio Morris has trial date canceled. What it means & what’s next
A defendant’s motion for continuance was granted Tuesday, meaning the Aug. 2 jury-trial date in Texas for Kansas sophomore men’s basketball guard Arterio Morris has been canceled, according to Denton County, Texas courthouse records.
The Denton County district attorney office confirmed to the Star in a phone conversation Tuesday that Morris, who faces a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from an incident that occurred before Morris’ freshman season at the University of Texas, has not had the case dismissed.
Morris still stands as charged and a future jury trial date is slated to be assigned at some point, the official in the DA’s office indicated.
According to records, an affidavit of non prosecution was filed by the alleged victim in the case Monday, requesting charges be dismissed. The D.A. office indicated charges are not automatically dropped after receiving such a request.
Cases such as these are decided in three ways: by the state electing to not move forward, by a plea bargain being reached or by jury trial.
According to the Austin American Statesman, the misdemeanor assault charge against Morris stems from a June 2022 confrontation in Frisco, a suburb north of Dallas. The charge carries potential penalties ranging from probation and fines to up to a year in jail if convicted.
KU coach Bill Self said last week Morris would participate in the Jayhawks’ three exhibition games in Puerto Rico on Aug. 3, 5 and 7.
The 6-foot-3 Morris, a native of Dallas, announced plans to transfer from Texas to KU on April 28. Morris was not suspended last season at UT as he awaited trial. He practiced and played in games for Texas during the entire 2022-23 season.
He averaged 4.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game during his freshman season. He hit 41.4% of his shots and was 32.5% from three-point range (29 of 87). He was 78.6% from the line. He had 20 assists and 23 turnovers while playing an average of 11.7 minutes a game in 38 games.
Morris chose KU over DePaul and Mississippi. He was in the Longhorns’ rotation last season but played behind senior Marcus Carr, sophomore Tyrese Hunter and senior Sir’Jabari Rice.
This story was originally published July 25, 2023 at 4:04 PM.
