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By Sara Normand
The 2005 NBA draft on June 28 made history everywhere. This year’s champion North Carolina moved past Duke for the most players drafted in the first round when the Tarheels had four. Utah became the first school ever to have number one draft picks in both the NBA and NFL in the same year when Andrew Bogut was selected to the Milwaukee Bucks [Utah’s quarterback Alex Smith was picked by the San Francisco 49ers in April]. It was likely the last year that high school kids would be drafted to the NBA. Stars enjoyed the limelight like Charlie Villanueva from Connecticut who was picked earlier than expected. But Randolph Morris from the University of Kentucky didn’t get to share in any limelight, not even from the TV room of his own house. Why? Because he wasn’t drafted! And he claims he didn’t even sign with an agent. Now Morris will probably want to run back into the arms of the Wildcats the same way a guy runs back to his ex-girlfriend after a new woman didn’t work out. Many say Coach Tubby Smith needs to put his foot down and say enough is enough for his notably undisciplined group, but Morris, who would be a sophomore this coming year, should be allowed to go back to the team. Although Smith hasn’t made a decision yet, he should consider a few things.
First, let me remind you that the Atlanta native was a freshman last year. A young, naïve mind with a young naïve heart. Freshmen aren’t always reliable, freshmen make mistakes, freshmen don’t always make the smartest plays, freshmen don’t always say the smartest things. Morris said that he came to the University of Kentucky because the school itself would be easier than Georgia Tech. Not the smartest thing to say. But these are college athletes; they aren’t getting paid. We all know that even professional athletes make bonehead comments. Every year players, not just freshmen, quit the team and end up back on it. The University of Cincinnati is a prime example. Huggins, a strict disciplinarian, still finds it in his heart to teach his guys basketball, discipline, and forgiveness at the same time. He looks out for the good of his players, too; that is, he doesn’t just care about himself. He couldn’t let some players return and not others. Even though Morris tried to go to the NBA, there isn’t much difference here. If Morris commits to coming back, apologizes to his teammates, the whole nine yards, I don’t see why he shouldn’t be able to rejoin the team.
Second, this decision should not take into question his desire to play for Kentucky or not. Morris didn’t try to transfer to a different school to play like Joe Crawford did for UK last season with Michigan State because he was unhappy being the Wildcats’ sixth man. When the Spartans didn’t want him, Crawford came crawling back to Kentucky, who took him back. Instead of fighting for that starting spot by working hard in practice and proving himself when he is in games, Crawford tried to take the easy route out by transferring. But why would a team want Crawford to come back when he was being selfish about playing time and not being a team player? So if Crawford was allowed to be a traitor and a bad sport and still come back, Morris’ case is not as bad. What freshman wouldn’t want to see if he could get drafted into the NBA? Just not all of them actually go and try. Morris was just testing the waters. Since he didn’t have an agent, even if he did get drafted, it’s uncertain as to whether or not he would have even signed. Let’s be real here. Last year Morris averaged 19.6 minutes a game, 8.8 points per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game. Now let’s compare that to the highest picked center from this year’s draft. That would be Utah’s Andrew Bogut, who was picked first and is just one year ahead of Morris. Morris is the same height as Bogut and even weighs about 30 more pounds than him. However, Bogut averaged 34 minutes a game to go along with 20.4 ppg and 12.2 boards per game. That is what NBA team’s who needed a center were looking for. Did Morris [or anyone] really and truly expect him to get drafted when he’s up against those numbers? It wasn't like he was the center on a team that won the NCAA Championship or anything. Morris wasn't going anywhere. Geez.
Third, this 6-foot-10 center was never a troublemaker off the court. It wasn’t like he was arrested or academically struggling. He didn’t do anything illegal. He didn’t do anything wrong. In 2002 UK’s Gerald Fitch and Erik Daniels were charged with using fake ID’s to get into a bar. Coach Smith suspended them for only one game. If that’s not tolerance, then I don’t know what is. This isn’t about UK making a statement. If it is, then that team’s got some issues. So if Smith denies Morris in this case, it is fair to look at him as a hypocrite.
Some say that if Smith takes him back, he’ll just wait another year and then reenter the NBA draft in 2006. So what? Tubby, you never know how the season will go, who might get injured, who might step up, and it could be Morris. You recruited him so it’s not like you don’t have faith in his basketball abilities. But at least people will respect you for being consistent in your actions. At least people won’t accuse you of being biased, racist, and any other copout accusation so commonly raised today. At least you will have shown through your actions the concept of forgiveness, fairness, and doing the right thing. Let me ask you this. If it were Saul Smith, your son, instead of Randolph Morris in this position, would there even be a debate? I didn’t think so. Consistency is the name of the game, my friend.
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