University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Morrison Provides Solid Complement
November 11, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2001
By Adam Lucas
TarHeelBlue.com
This is going to be Kris Lang's team.
The big man is a senior and he's going to average more than 20 points per game. He's also quick with a good quote, which means that by the end of this year, you will have heard more from Lang than you have from Miss Cleo.
But there are going to be nights when Lang's hook shots aren't falling, when the other team's post players are grabbing all the rebounds, and those are the nights that people are going to notice Brian Morrison.
Last year, noticing Brian Morrison could be hazardous. Especially early in the season, he occasionally played like a moth near a floodlight, flitting back and forth but sometimes getting burned.
By the end of the year, he started to harness that all-out effort. In one memorable sequence against Clemson in Chapel Hill, he turned the ball over under the Tar Heel basket, but by the time the Tigers reached the other end of the floor, he was already there, thieving a pass and setting off on another dash down the court.
He still does those dashes, but they're starting to come under control. Saturday evening against Nike Elite, he was the only Tar Heel guard to finish with a positive assist/turnover ratio, as he handed out five assists while committing three turnovers.
The sophomore from Washington also continued to look like he has found his shooting rhythm, as he knocked in four of eight three-pointers and all six of his free throws while tallying 20 points. Too often last year, he fired up shots off one leg or off-balance. This year, it's much more simple--catch, jump, shoot, score.
Even his head coach is learning to trust him.
"It's hard when you have open threes to pass them up," Matt Doherty said. "But we have to discipline ourselves. If you don't hit two threes down the court, then the ball has to go inside. I say that, and then Brian Morrison comes down on the first possession of the second half and hits a three. I am like everyone else, saying, 'Good shot.'"
Morrison has benefited from playing less point guard this year, although he may get some spot minutes at that spot when Adam Boone or Melvin Scott tires. In truth, with Scott and Morrison in the game at the same time, it is a hybrid backcourt, as both players could capably play the two-guard exclusively.
It is also a short backcourt, which means Morrison's biggest task this year might be on defense. The Atlantic Coast Conference has no shortage of tall shooting guards, and they may see his 6-foot-2 height as an opportunity to post up. However, Nike Elite's guards only managed a combined 2-of-14 shooting performance Saturday night.
"We're pressuring more on defense and getting into the passing lanes more," Morrison said. "I think it suits me a little more."
But his defensive capabilities may be an afterthought in 2001-02. What the team needs most from him is his scoring spark. Especially with Jason Capel hobbled by a hamstring injury, Morrison is Carolina's only proven perimeter threat. As he continues to get his game under control, he's also one of the few Tar Heels who can consistently create his own shot, which will be valuable in late-game situations and possessions where the shot clock becomes critical.
On most of those possessions, the Heels will try to get the ball inside to Kris Lang. After all, it's his team. But on some possessions, he won't be available. And it's then that we'll all notice Brian Morrison.
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Adam Lucas is the co-publisher of Basketball America. He is a lifelong observer of UNC sports and can be reached at JAdamLucas@aol.com.
