Cameron Morse’s troubled hometown of Flint, Michigan is on his mind

March 1, 2016 at 12:10a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Cameron Morse will be a distraction this weekend when No. 7 Youngstown State opens Horizon League Tournament play on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 6 University of Detroit at Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit.

The Penguins’ sophomore guard will be a pleasant one, though.

And he’ll be distracting his friends and family who are going to make the approximate one-hour trip from his hometown of Flint, Mich. — a city currently stuck in a drinking-water contamination crisis.

“A lot of my family and friends, they’re gonna be there,” Morse said. “Part of it — just dealing with the water crisis — they need something to get away and come watch me play.

“They know I’ve been doing a good job this year, so I want them to come watch me play and see what I do.”

What Morse does is average 20.1 points per game on 47-percent shooting, including 41-percent accuracy from beyond the arc. The scoring mark ranks second-best among all Horizon League players, while his 23.3 average in 18 conference contests ranks first in league scoring.

And he does it all with his family, friends and an entire city on his mind.

“It’s really sad,” Morse said of the water crisis that began in April 2014 and stems from dangerous levels of lead contamination in the Flint River (the city’s water source).

“I believe that nobody should have to go through that. So whenever I go on the court, I pray before the game — praying for my family and praying for my city back home — hoping that this water crisis ends soon.”

Morse’s entire family has been effected by the situation.

However, he said his grandmother, aunts and uncles have felt the effects more than his mother and father, who live on the opposite side of the city, which hasn’t been hit as hard.

“My granny is struggling to cook and take showers and things like that because lead is in the water,” said Morse, who hasn’t been back to Flint since the crisis began in early 2014. “She has to use bottled water to cook. Then to shower, she has to pour it on herself.

“So whoever wants to donate — I know people like my grandma really need it — that would be great.”

Flint was declared to be in a federal state of emergency in early January by President Barack Obama, authorizing help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

With this, many celebrities — from athletes to musicians to entrepreneurs — began donating money and water bottles to the city in an effort to help those in need.

“I appreciate everything that they’re doing for my city,” Morse said.

Back to basketball, Flint has supported the superb efforts this season by Morse — a likely All-Horizon League first-teamer when the honors are announced today. His resume includes 16 games of 20 or more points, topped by a career-high 44 points against Green Bay on Jan. 9.

“People back home — news reporters, even famous people like [Flint native] Mateen Cleaves and stuff like that — they’ve been telling me I’ve been doing a real good job and to keep it up,” Morse said. “So I’m just trying to bring my game onto the court on Saturday.”

All things considered, Morse’s game will surely be well-appreciated by his family and friends who make the trip from troubled Flint.

“I’m just praying they stay well,” he said.