Ole Miss men’s basketball has added Louisiana’s Brock Morris as an assistant coach, head coach Kermit Davis announced.
Morris comes to Oxford with a decade of coaching experience and a nationwide reputation as one of college basketball’s top assistants, most recently helping the Ragin’ Cajuns the last three seasons beginning in 2019-20 after a one-year stint as the head coach at Daytona State College.
In total throughout his career, Morris has recruited, coached, or help develop 26 All-Conference selections, 18 All-Tournament Team selections, seven All-Americans, three Conference Players of the Year, two Conference Tournament MVPs and one NBA Lottery Pick, Elfrid Payton.
“Brock Morris is a relentless worker, outstanding recruiter and basketball coach that will impact our program immediately,” Davis said. “I’ve known Brock for a number of years, and have watched his team as the head coach at Daytona State and always came back very impressed. We welcome Brock and his family to Oxford.”
“Amanda and I are grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Davis and his staff at Ole Miss,” Morris said. “Oxford is a special place, and we see why it is considered the best college town in America. We recognize the future of Ole Miss basketball is very bright, and we are excited to be a part of something special.”
At Louisiana, Morris’ responsibilities as an assistant coach included on-court coaching, player development, opponent scouting and recruiting, and he collected a perfect 4-0 record as acting head coach following two two-game stints in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Morris has received national recognition as one of college basketball’s top coaches. In 2020, he was voted one of the Top Assistant Coaches in the Sun Belt Conference by his peers, a list compiled by Jeff Goodman of Stadium.com. Morris was also one of 30 coaches nationally to be selected for the College Coaching Consortium at the NABC Convention in both 2018 and 2022.
Morris’s recruiting efforts bolstered the Cajuns roster, helping Louisiana sign its highest-ranked recruit in program history via 247 sports and ESPN, two four-star high school recruits via ESPN, one Top-100 high school recruit via ESPN, three Top-100 transfers, one JUCO All-American, three JUCO Top-100 players, and a former McDonalds All-American.
In 2019-20 and 2020-21, the Cajun’s recruiting class was ranked first in the Sun Belt according to Verbal Commits, which also listed the Cajuns with the highest-ranked roster in the Sun Belt.
Those efforts produced results for the Ragin’ Cajuns. In 2021-22, Louisiana played for the Sun Belt Tournament Championship, falling just short of the NCAA Tournament in their first title game appearance since 2014. It was also the first time since 2014 the Cajuns won multiple games in the SBC Tournament. In 2020-21 Louisiana earned the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament after posting a 17-9 record and finishing second in the West Division behind league champion Texas State, whom the Cajuns beat in three of four tries.
The Cajuns produced seven All-Conference or All-Tournament Team selections during Morris’ tenure: Jordan Brown, Kobe Julien, Greg Williams, Cedric Russell, Theo Akwuba, and Mylik Wilson. In 2020-21 Akwuba was also named Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year nominee, a Lefty Driesell Defensive All American, and was voted the LSWA Newcomer of the Year in his first season. Russell was named First Team All Louisiana, Lou Henson All-American, and NABC First Team All-District honoree. In 2019-20, Mylik Wilson was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American.
Morris spent the 2018-19 season as the head coach at Daytona State College, where he led the Falcons to a 25-7 finish and a Mid-Florida Conference Tournament title. They also earned Academic All-American Team honors for being ranked 12th nationally with a 3.2 team GPA. The Falcons spent 16 weeks ranked in the national top-25, and under Morris Daytona State’s attendance increased from 320th to fifth nationally in just his one season.
Morris’s fast pace and explosive offense led the conference in scoring at 87 points per game. Daytona State led Region 8 in threes made (317) and assist per game (20.7). Harwin Francois (McNeese State) and Bryce Williams (Oklahoma State) led the region and conference in three-point shooting, and Khadim Sy (Ole Miss), led the region and conference in rebounding.
The Daytona State defense was just as powerful, ending the season as the top-ranked defense in the conference. The Falcons ranked first defensively in several categories, including field goal defense, blocks, rebounding margin and turnovers forced.
Morris inherited a team with only two scholarship players when hired, but in four months he and his staff signed 12 student-athletes – including a nation-leading four top-100 signees.
Morris’s program developed six All-Conference players: Conference Player of the Year (Khadim Sy, Ole Miss), runner-up (Bryce Williams, Oklahoma State), and Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Dou Gueye, Louisiana).
Prior to Daytona State, Morris was an assistant coach at South Alabama for three seasons, where he was primarily responsible for coaching the defense. Within two years the Jaguars would secure the top-ranked recruiting class in the Sun Belt and finish as the 16th-ranked defense in the nation.
In 2017-18, the Jags ranked sixth in the nation in three-point defense (.305) and 24th in field-goal defense (.407) – both of which registered as the third-lowest in school history. Synergy Sports placed South Alabama at the top of the Sun Belt and 16th in Division I in its defensive rankings.
In 2016-17, South Alabama tied its best start in school history (5-0) thanks to a season-opening win at UNLV. The team led the SBC in turnovers forced (16.3/game), turnover margin (+3.2), and steals (7.5/game).
Morris came to South Alabama after two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho, where, as an assistant, he helped the Golden Eagles to a combined 58-8 overall record and 27-5 mark in Scenic West Athletic Conference play. CSI claimed two league titles and an appearance in the national tournament during his tenure. The Golden Eagles spent 19 straight weeks ranked in the top-five of the national poll.
At CSI, Morris served as recruiting and academic coordinator and was responsible for scouting, game planning, and player development.
In 2014-15, Southern Idaho claimed the Scenic West Athletic Conference title with a 13-2 record and a 31-3 mark overall, as well as the Region 18 Tournament crown. The Golden Eagles boasted a First-Team All-American, who was also the Conference Player of the Year, along with five All-Conference selections.
CSI averaged more than 90 points per game offensively while ranking No. 2 nationally in field goal defense and No. 3 in steals, holding opponents to just 68 points per contest.
The year prior, the Golden Eagles won the Scenic West Athletic Conference with a 13-4 ledger in league play – 27-5 overall – and once again placed five on the All-Conference teams, a First-Team All-American, and the Conference Player of the Year. In total, 18 players Morris coached at CSI signed Division I scholarships.
Prior to his time at Southern Idaho, Morris was the director of basketball operations at Louisiana from 2010-13. Following a playing career at Snead State, Morris earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Alabama in 2008 before joining the basketball staff as a graduate assistant. He later received a master’s degree in human environmental sciences from Alabama in 2010.
Morris is married to the former Amanda Archer of Atlanta, Georgia. They have two sons, Macksen and Graysen.
Morris Coaching Career – At a Glance
2019-22 – Louisiana – Assistant Coach
2018-19 – Daytona State College – Head Coach
2015-18 – South Alabama – Assistant Coach
2013-15 – College of Southern Idaho – Assistant Coach
2010-13 – Louisiana – Director of Operations
2008-10 – Alabama – Graduate Assistant
