Morrison declares for NBA draft
The Gonzaga All-American forward is expected to be a lottery pick.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Gonzaga All-America forward Adam Morrison declared for the NBA draft Wednesday, passing up his senior season for a chance to be a lottery pick.
The 6-foot-8 floppy-haired, mustachioed forward, who led Division I in scoring last season at 28.1 points per game, is a diabetic and said uncertainty over his future health prospects was a factor in his decision.
"It's been a great process so far. It's been fun, but I've decided to try to take my game to the next level and further my career as a basketball player," Morrison said at a campus news conference.
The West Coast Conference player of the year, Morrison edged Duke's J.J. Redick for this year's national scoring title. He finished second to Redick for the Naismith and John R. Wooden Awards for college basketball's player of the year.
Coach is pleased
Gonzaga coach Mark Few said his staff and team were "ecstatic" for Morrison.
"This truly is a great day. A great day for Adam, a great day for our basketball program and me personally," Few said.
"It's the right decision because he and his family went about it the right way. It's what he wants to do and he is ready for it. He's going to be a great player at the next level."
Morrison surpassed the college accomplishments of Gonzaga standout John Stockton.
Deficiencies
But it remains to be seen if he can have the same impact on the NBA, as critics have complained about his defense and downplayed his passing and rebounding abilities.
There is no doubt Morrison can shoot, making nearly 50 percent of his shots, including 43 percent of 3-pointers, even with defenders hanging all over him.
Morrison drew comparisons to Larry Bird, for a similar high release on his jump shot, and Pete Maravich and other scorers of the past.
The 21-year-old Morrison scored at least 30 points 14 times this season and five times scored at least 40 points as he became the second Bulldogs player to win the national scoring title. Frank Burgess accomplished the feat by averaging 32.4 ppg in 1960-61.
Morrison's 926 points this year topped Burgess' single-season school record of 842 during 1960-61.
In three seasons at Gonzaga, Morrison scored 1,867 points to rank third on the Bulldogs' all-time scoring list, behind Burgess (2,196) and Jim McPhee (2,015).
Gonzaga finished 29-4 this season, and in Morrison's three seasons went 83-12, including 40-2 in the WCC.
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