By NICK MEDLINE
Special to ZAGSBLOG
RIVERSIDE, Ill.— Juwan Morgan is on a mission.
“I want to show coaches that I’m a basketball player, and not just a number on the stat sheet,” the 6-foot-9 Morgan out of Waynesville (MO) Sr. told SNY.tv on Saturday.
The only numbers they could focus on were the stats themselves: Morgan scored 22 points, adding four blocks and four assists in a weekend game at Riverside (IL).
“At the end of the day, it’s all fun. I have to keep that mentality,” Morgan said. “I’m not playing just because the coaches are here.”
Those coaches crowded the bleachers, with Creighton and Vanderbilt some of the important schools in attendance. He also played well in front of Dana Altman of Oregon and Tim Miles of Nebraska.
Morgan is listed as the No. 81 prospect in the Class of 2015 according to Scout.com. That could even improve with performances like these. He displayed his excellent hands and blocking ability, while finishing around the rim.
That’s drawn major offers, he said, from Indiana, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Creighton, Washington and Arkansas. Still, he mentioned two schools in hot pursuit.
“Indiana and Washington have been trying the hardest,” he said. This might be a surprise geographically, but reflects the relationships he’s building with coaches.
Morgan visited Indiana on June 14 and clearly left with a positive experience. Plus, his AAU teammate Shake Milton told Justin Albers of Scout.com that the two “just might” end up at Indiana together.
“I talk to Coach [Tom] Crean and Coach [Steve] McClain at least two to three times a week,” Morgan said. “They tell me they’ve been watching and are going over things I can work on. They give me that advice.”
Lorenzo Romar, entering his 13th season as coach of Washington, has not made the NCAA Tournament since the 2010-11 campaign. Still, he’s managed to recruit an excellent class that includes three Rivals.com top-150 players — Dejounte Murray, Marquese Chriss and David Crisp.
“I’ve been talking to the players that already committed to Washington in my class,” Morgan said. “They speak very highly of Coach [Lorenzo] Romar, and it’s great to hear that.”
Morgan and his MoKan Elite (AAU) teammates are all focused on winning the EYBL Peach Jam finals next weekend. He can then focus on cutting down his list sometime in August. But, as it stands, two schools appear to be making the most compelling run in his recruitment.
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