UK biased story on Morris

Found this (story here). Obviously slanted towards UK, but worth posting.

Morris still likely to land at UK
Scott Hagerman, Commentary
04/10/04

Messenger-Inquirer

Randolph Morris is a patient man. And that's driving a lot of University of Kentucky basketball fans crazy.

The 6-foot-11, 270-pound McDonald's All-American has yet to announce where he'll play collegiate basketball next season -- or if he'll bypass college and jump straight to the National Basketball Association.

It's become increasingly less likely he'll make the jump to the pros. So that leaves Georgia Tech and Kentucky battling to secure his services.

Many Wildcat fans are nervous Georgia Tech's recent Final Four appearance has given them an edge in the recruiting battle. But a big contributor to the Yellow Jackets' success was the play of 7-1 junior center Luke Schenscher.

That means Morris is looking at a backup role next season if he decides to stay in Georgia, and that scenario rarely sits well with NBA-caliber talents.

Kentucky fans should also feel good about the fact Morris has waited so long to announce his intentions, since players who intend to stay close to home don't usually wait so long to commit.

That was a primary reason many UK supporters kept believing Joe Crawford was leaning toward UK over Michigan when he remained undecided past the most recent signing period. And they were proven correct when the Detroit product verbally committed to the Wildcats.

Kentucky also has scholarship issues that may be a factor in Morris waiting to announce.

The Wildcats currently have no scholarships available. But that could quickly change when the spring semester ends next month.

Bernard Coté is believed to be the most likely candidate to transfer -- and, thus, open up a scholarship -- while Brandon Stockton and Josh Carrier have also been mentioned as players possibly looking at their options.

Stockton would seem the most logical to depart. He often seemed overwhelmed this past season, and with two McDonald's All-Americans -- Rajon Rondo and Crawford -- along with highly-touted Ramel Bradley and Western Kentucky transfer Patrick Sparks joining the backcourt rotation, his prospects for playing time appear dim.

If no one transfers, Kentucky may still have a chance at Morris. His father was quoted as saying it's possible he could walk-on with the Wildcats.

But expecting a player of Morris' potential to walk-on could be stretching reality.

What has been lost in the Morris sweepstakes is that Kentucky isn't as desperate to land a big man as many seem to believe.

Sheray Thomas is an inch shorter than Erik Daniels, but showed the potential to be an upgrade on the boards. And while he's not as polished offensively as Daniels, he showed the ability to get good looks, as he shot 59 percent from the field last year. Seven-footer Lukasz Obrzut also figures to be improved.

And neither Thomas or Obrzut will need to give the Wildcats the scoring Daniels provided, with Chuck Hayes capable of raising his offensive output, Kelenna Azubuike a potential 20-point scorer and Sparks a good bet to be more offensive-minded than Cliff Hawkins.

So the Wildcats aren't depending on landing Morris. But having him in the blue-and-white would certainly make the future brighter.