Adam Morrison's playing days are over, and the NBA washout will return to the school where he became a college basketball legend: the former National Player of the Year and No. 3 pick in the NBA draft will join Mark Few's staff at Gonzaga as a student assistant coach.
Adam Morrison to join as Gonzaga staff as assistant coach
Adam Morrison’s professional career never really took off, and he’s back to his alma mater to complete his education and coach the Bulldogs, joining Mark Few’s staff as a student assistant.
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Morrison left school after his junior season, when he led the nation with 28.1 points per game. As such, he’ll have an opportunity to take classes while once again helping out the Bulldogs. But at just 28, he’s done playing the game professionally.
Although the Charlotte Bobcats seized at the opportunity to select him and he averaged double-digits in his first season, he never figured out how to adapt his game to the pros. He couldn't get the open looks he drained at ridiculous rates in Spokane, never cracking 40 percent from the field in the NBA after being tremendously effective at a high volume in college.
He missed an entire season with an ACL tear, was traded to the Lakers, and although he can claim to be a two-time NBA champion, he only played 13 minutes across two playoff games with the team. Unable to find a contract after the 2010-2011 season, he played with Red Star Belgrade in Serbia and Besiktas in Turkey, and when he tried to make his way back into the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers last season, he was waived in training camp.
Gonzaga earned a No. 1 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, but was knocked out by Wichita State, and lost star center Kelly Olynyk and forward Elias Harris, their top two scorers and rebounders from last season. But with contributors Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell, Jr. ready to step up, and 7-foot center Przamek Karnowski now given a chance to play starter's minutes with Olynyk gone, the Bulldogs should still be a power in the West Coast Conference and will likely start the season ranked.
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