Senior guard Carlos Morris had an up-and-down first season with the Gophers after transferring from Chipola College, but so far his play has evened out.
It started with taking better shots.
“He’s getting better [with his shot selection],” head coach Richard Pitino said after Morris’ 13-point effort against the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 13. “It’s funny with him because he really wants to win and score. Sometimes he gets a little bit impatient. He’s got to trust the offense more, but [his shot selection is] an improvement.”
Morris’ consistency has shown in his scoring so far this season, as he’s become one of the Gophers’ main threats on offense.
He’s scored 12 points or more in all but one of the team’s seven games so far.
“I watched a lot of film over the summer,” Morris said. “The game kind of slowed down for me. I’m more patient. I’m not rushing [shots]. I’m not forcing shots.”
When the Gophers were struggling to score against Texas Tech in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, Morris was able to give the team a spark by driving to the basket. He had six free throw attempts in the loss, two shy of his career high.
He scored 15 points in the game, to go along with four assists and three steals.
One area in which Morris has improved his game this season is his outside shooting, as he is shooting just under 41 percent from three-point range.
Despite the improvements Morris has made, he still hasn’t been immune from the bench.
He had a turnover early in the Gophers game against Nebraska-Omaha, and Pitino sat Morris for 11 minutes afterwards.
The benching didn’t discourage the senior, however, and he finished the game with 17 points and six rebounds on 50 percent shooting.
“What was great was that he was able to bounce back in the first half,” senior forward Joey King said following the team’s 93-90 victory over Nebraska-Omaha. “He hit a big three, and he came out in the second half and wasn’t discouraged with what had happened at the beginning of the game and just continued to fight with all of us.”
King and Morris, the team’s lone seniors, were selected as captains in the offseason, and now the two are trying to set an example for their many younger teammates with their play.
“[King and I] work hard every day, and we are practicing every day to get better at [leading],” Morris said. “It’s an everyday process; it is a long process. I am just the one to lead by example and do the right thing in practice. I just try to show the guys an example by going hard.”
