Baylor getting a UCLA transfer

[Sooner23]

http://proxy.espn.go.com/ncb/features/rumors?date=20100421#1893

It was not totally unexpected to hear the news that UCLA sophomore J'Mison Morgan would not return to the Bruins for 2010-11. After battling a litany of injury problems, the 6-foot-10 center only averaged 2.1 ppg in '10. But with 340+ teams in Division I, there is always room for second changes and Morgan may have found his next home in the Big 12.

Brett Vito of the Denton Record-Chronicle writes it's just about a done deal for Morgan to transfer to Baylor. North Texas was making a push for the Dallas native but the Eagles are considered a long-shot, despite -- with the departure of Eric Tramiel -- more shots in the UNT offense.

Coupled with the return of LaceDarius Dunn, if Morgan does land in Waco, Baylor immediately should be considered a top team in the Big 12. Yes, Tweety Carter has graduated. But A.J. Walton was a more than suitable replacement when Carter missed some early-season games and we still haven't seen the true ability of Nolan Dennis. Morgan would fill the role of departed Josh Lomars (and be much more mobile) as well as excel in the open court; although Baylor's tempo was only .2 possessions quicker than UCLA's in 2010, watching a Baylor game felt a lot quicker than watching a Bruins game.

 

[SuperHoops]

How would he be eligible immediately and not have to sit out a year?

 

[Tony]

Coupled with the return of LaceDarius Dunn, if Morgan does land in Waco, Baylor immediately should be considered a top team in the Big 12.

Does this guy not have to sit out a season for some reason? /accidental rhyming

 

[soonerbms]

We got a UCLA transfer one time. They're not that good.

 

[IBleedCrimson&Cream]

How would he be eligible immediately and not have to sit out a year?

I heard something about its only for transfers in the same conference, but I really have no idea, I just heard it somewhere.

 

[yankeeDoodleSooner]

I heard something about its only for transfers in the same conference, but I really have no idea, I just heard it somewhere.

Nope, 2 year sit-out for in conference transfers and 1 for out of conference.

 

[JBaker]

Nope, 2 year sit-out for in conference transfers and 1 for out of conference.

In-conference is one-year sit out with an additional year of eligibility revoked I believe.

 

[OUguy11]

In-conference is one-year sit out with an additional year of eligibility revoked I believe.

He's from SOC and he played in the Faith 7 game when Willie did I believe. Very undeveloped. The one to have would have been Gordon who went to New Mexico.

 

[stoops4pres]

Hopefully he's more of a big man transfer along the likes of Ryan Wright instead of an Epe Udoh.

 

[Edmond_Sooner]

Does facebook confirm this...

 

[playmakr]

Does facebook confirm this...

That's what I was thinking. Until Facebook, Twitter, or TMZ confirm, I am skeptical.

 

[CMSOONER]

Does facebook confirm this...

+1

 

[DFWHoopster]

I'm really not fired up about this if true. I know he was at Baylor today and some of his former teammates are saying it is a done deal. He was rated a high talent coming out of South Oak Cliff- top 30 5-star by most scouting services. But when I saw him play, I just never saw what the hype was about.

He's no Udoh. Udoh was a hard working lunch pail guy with a reputation for outstanding defense and character. Morgan has a reputation for being soft, lazy and a clown.

He has size, long arms and soft hands. But his desire to play defense has been lacking. Sounds like a less polished Kevin Rogers to me.

We'll see how it plays out. I'm sure the staff told him, "You have a year to get your act together and show you are serious about basketball. If you work hard, we will do all we can to help you realize your professional dreams. But if you show any signs of slacking, we are pulling your scholarship."

He's definitely not eligible immediately. He will have to sit a year like any transfer. It is a high risk/ high reward gamble. He could be a locker room poison. But if the kid wants to work hard, he could be used a lot like Lomers was. And he has more upside than Lomers.

 

[5hrenergy]

Udoh was good at Michigan. Morgan on the other hand has been horrible injury or not. I guess since he's from the area Drew decided to take a chance on him.

 

[SoonerDAZE]

J'Mison (Bobo is what people down here call him) was NOT ready to play high-major D1 basketball coming out of high school, and still is not ready - witness his limited role on a UCLA team devoid of talent at the bigs.

Has a very low-revving motor and extremely limited body. His knees have been a source of limitation since he was in middle school. His frame is long, but simply is not built to support the weight of his height and be able to take the rigors of day-in-day-out, tough competition.

He has good instincts, but rarely acts on them because he plays lazy. He is not mobile and struggles in an up-and-down type game. On the flip side, he knows the game and has a high basketball IQ, and has good back-to-the-basket skills. He simply disappears in games far too often and for far too long.

If he indeed does sign with Baylor, he will have again signed somewhere above his level of play. He needs to be at a low-D1 school in a conference like the Southland Conference. Even the Sun Belt and teams like North Texas are probably a reach for him. I wish him luck, but do not believe he will be a major contributor to any Big12 program, if that's what he chooses.

 

[sys]

very interesting, daze.

i wonder if he could be a guy that you could get 5-10 good minutes from. even if he couldn't handle a larger role?

 

[DFWHoopster]

J'Mison (Bobo is what people down here call him) was NOT ready to play high-major D1 basketball coming out of high school, and still is not ready - witness his limited role on a UCLA team devoid of talent at the bigs.

Has a very low-revving motor and extremely limited body. His knees have been a source of limitation since he was in middle school. His frame is long, but simply is not built to support the weight of his height and be able to take the rigors of day-in-day-out, tough competition.

He has good instincts, but rarely acts on them because he plays lazy. He is not mobile and struggles in an up-and-down type game. On the flip side, he knows the game and has a high basketball IQ, and has good back-to-the-basket skills. He simply disappears in games far too often and for far too long.

If he indeed does sign with Baylor, he will have again signed somewhere above his level of play. He needs to be at a low-D1 school in a conference like the Southland Conference. Even the Sun Belt and teams like North Texas are probably a reach for him. I wish him luck, but do not believe he will be a major contributor to any Big12 program, if that's what he chooses.

SoonerDaze- you have probably seen him play more than I have so I defer to a lot of what you said. But I think you are being a little harsh on his skill level. There is a reason why Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, A&M, Louisville, UCLA, etc.. all offered him a scholarship. The injuries and lack of playing with a high motor are the biggest issues in my opinion.

If the light comes on, he could be a contributor for Baylor. He does some things well and Baylor used an unathletic, slow-footed guy pretty well in Lomers- so there is precedent. If you are going to take a flyer, probably better to take a flyer on a former 5-star recruit than a guy under 6'5". Baylor will have a whole year to evaluate him and see if he can be a contributor during his transfer year. If he doesn't put in the work, they can cut him loose and use the scholarship on a 2011 target.

I also think sometimes certain kids respond better to different coaching styles. Howland is an old-school in-your-face hard-nosed type. With kids who are highly motivated, it works well. But certain kids, that constant berating backfires. Morgan is probably one of those types of kids that doesn't respond well to criticism and negative reinforcement. Drew is the polar opposite- always positive; encouraging; excited about the possibilities. Both styles have their flaws and positives. Morgan may do a lot better under Drew than he did under Howland.