Apparently Terence Morris ('01), the pride of Thomas Johnson High School in Fredneck, is thriving with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a team that routinely challenges for Euroleague supremacy. Read this article about him in Haaretz, Israel's English newspaper, which states accurately or not that he was harmed by staying in school a year too long.
Terence Morris, a steadying force
By Jerry Mittleman
Maccabi Tel Aviv would not be in a position to make a run at another Euroleague title if it weren't for Terence Morris' efforts before Zvika Sherf took over as coach. In just one short year, the 29-year-old, 2.06-meter Morris has gone from sitting on Hapoel Jerusalem's bench to being an indispensable member of Maccabi.
Morris, who earlier in his career was known for inconsistency, was a steady presence for Maccabi in its toughest times during Nikola Vujcic's lengthy absence. Seemingly week after week, Morris always came through when it was really needed, with either the big block, rebound or basket. Morris' highlight came during the sixth week of the Euroleague campaign, when his rebound and basket with four seconds remaining gave Maccabi a 82-81 victory over Milano and its first road win of the year. Since then, Morris has been getting major minutes and has become a permanent fixture in the opening lineup. Heading into last night's matchup against Aris, Morris averaged 11.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the Euroleague this season.
Morris is a high-caliber, versatile performer who can fill in at any frontcourt position. He has a deft shooting touch from outside and is a skilled rebounder and defender underneath the basket. He possesses both superstar-quality talent and a quiet, unassuming on-court demeanor, which has probably hampered his career development.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, Morris' career demonstrates the vagaries of college basketball. After a sensational sophomore season, the previously unknown and hyper-athletic Morris was being heralded by NBA scouts as one of the very best forwards in the country. Morris made the "mistake" of remaining in school, and spent the next two seasons in the shadows of two future NBA guards, Juan Dixon and Steve Blake. As luck would have it, Maryland captured the NCAA championship the year after Morris left, denying him national exposure that might have helped his image among pro scouts, who by that time were viewing him as a disappointment.
Eventually selected in the middle of the second round of the 2001 draft, Morris had a nondescript, abbreviated NBA career, playing two seasons with Houston and one with Orlando before moving on to international ball. Morris arrived in Jerusalem last season and was never more than a role player, although he did score nine points and pull down 16 rebounds while helping his team win the State Cup. Hapoel had seen enough to want to retain Morris, but Maccabi offered him a bigger contract last summer, an acquisition that has turned out to be among its best off-season moves.
Also check out MD Basketball: Where Are They Now?'s post from July 2007, noting that TeMo had signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv. It has some clips of Terence from their promotional video.
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