University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced Friday the hiring of Amorrow Morgan as the program’s newest assistant coach.
Morgan brings 12 years of collegiate coaching experience with him to Tennessee, including eight at the Division I level. He worked at Cal for the last two seasons.
“I am thrilled to welcome Amorrow to Rocky Top. As soon as we knew we had a decision to make, it was immediately clear Amorrow would be our first choice,” Barnes said. “He is a young, energetic coach with a sharp basketball mind who will make an impact with our program from day one. I know he will do all he can to help our players excel and that he will mesh with the strong culture we have in place.”
Morgan’s two campaigns in Berkeley, Calif., came during a transition period that featured the Golden Bears’ final year in the Pac-12 and first year in the ACC. Nonetheless, his recruiting efforts helped the program sign a top-12 transfer class in both 2023 and 2024, per On3.
In addition, Morgan played a pivotal role in signing Jeremiah Wilkinson, who averaged 15.1 points per game in 2024-25, en route to ACC Sixth Man of the Year and ACC All-Rookie Team plaudits. During his first year on staff, Morgan helped Cal post a 10-win improvement from the prior season, tie for sixth in the Pac-12 and defeat three NCAA Tournament teams.
“Coach Barnes has built something truly special on Rocky Top. Tennessee basketball is a program rooted in tradition and rising with purpose,” Morgan said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return to my home state and look forward to contributing however I can to the continued success of Volunteer basketball. I cannot wait to start and get to work with our guys. Go Big Orange.”
Morgan spent the prior two campaigns at Loyola Chicago, also during a transition, featuring the program’s final year in the MVC and first in the A10. His stint there included a superb 25-8 (13-5 MVC) showing in 2021-22 under a first-year head coach. The Ramblers won the fourth conference tournament title in program history and earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Five Loyola Chicago players collected postseason league honors during Morgan’s tenure. Lucas Williamson won MVC Defensive Player of the Year and garnered First Team All-MVC distinction in 2021-22.
Morgan worked at South Alabama from 2018-21, the latter two years as associate head coach, and aided the Jaguars to 54 victories. He helped the team log a 20-11 (13-7 SBC) mark during a 2019-20 campaign in which it tied for second in the league before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled postseason play. It marked the program’s first 20-win total in 11 years (2008-09).
In 2017-18, Morgan got his start at the Division I level at Nicholls State. The Colonels turned in a 21-11 record and tied for the Southland regular season crown at 15-3, their first such title in 20 years (1997-98) and first time exceeding 20 victories in 23 years (1994-95). He helped Roddy Peters, the Southland Newcomer of the Year and a First Team All-Southland pick, average 19.7 points per game.
Morgan worked at Henderson State, a Division II school in Arkadelphia, Ark., from 2015-17. The team doubled its win total from his first year to the second, finishing 16-13 in 2016-17.
In 2014-15, Morgan served as an assistant at Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio, Texas. He helped the Saints go 25-6, win the Red River Conference regular season title at 17-3 and reach the NAIA Sweet 16. Before that, in 2013-14, he got his coaching start at a Division II institution, Illinois-Springfield.
A Volunteer State native, Morgan hails from Memphis, Tenn. He graduated from Idaho State in 2012 with a degree in sport management.
Morgan scored 1,221 points during his career with the Bengals and was a two-time All-Big Sky honoree. The three-time team captain, who averaged 16.6 points per game as a senior, also served as the president and vice president of the school’s student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC).
After college, Morgan spent three years playing professionally in Europe. That included a season in which he was the top scorer for the SC Itzehoe Eagles in Germany.
