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HoopDirt.com first reported this hiring back on August 19th (South Alabama Dirt). It is now official, the University of South Alabama men’s basketball head coach Matthew Graves announced Wednesday the hiring of Brock Morris as an assistant coach.
He replaces Dan Matic, who joined the staff at St. John’s earlier this month.
“I am extremely excited to be adding Brock to our coaching staff,” Graves said. “He is a high-energy, enthusiastic young coach who has a passion for helping student-athletes achieve their goals. Brock has a broad range of recruiting contacts that will help as we continue to build a championship-level program.”
Morris comes 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—27-5 in Scenic West Athletic Conference play—with two league titles and an appearance in the NJCAA Tournament.
“We are grateful to join such a wonderful community, coaching staff, and athletic department at South Alabama,” Morris stated. “Coach Graves is a brilliant basketball mind and an even better person. His vision for the Jaguar program is first class and we look forward to helping him cultivate it further. South Alabama is a special place with elite facilities, tradition and support. My wife and I are excited to hit the ground running.”
At CSI, Morris served as recruiting and academic coordinator, and was responsible for scouting, game planning, and player development.
This past season, 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 NJCAA All-American—Fredrick Edmond, who was also the SWAC Player of the Year—and five All-SWAC selections.
CSI averaged over 90 points per game offensively while ranking No. 2 nationally in field goal percentage defense and No. 3 in steals, holding opponents to 68 points per contest.
The year prior, the Golden Eagles won the SWAC with a 13-4 ledger in league play—27-5 overall—and once again placed five on the all-conference teams with Edmond earning the first of back-to-back All-American and SWAC Player of the Year honors.
Seven members of that team went on to sign Division I scholarships and CSI finished in the top 10 nationally in field goal percentage (8th) and 3-point percentage (9th).
Prior to his time at Southern Idaho, Morris was the director of basketball operations at Louisiana-Lafayette from 2010-13 where he acted as a liaison with donors, alumni and high school coaches through newsletters and speaking engagements, as well as direct the program’s camps and coordinate the program’s advanced scouting via Synergy Sports Tech.
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, where he eventually received a master’s degree in human environmental sciences in 2010.
While on the Crimson Tide staff, Morris assisted with on-court practices and player development, game planning and scouting, and recruiting.
Morris was a four-year letterwinner at Albertville High School—graduating in 2004—and spent time with the Alabama Ice (1998-00) and Alabama Challenge (2000-03) AAU programs.
http://www.usajaguars.com/news/2015/8/26/MBB_0826153659.aspx
Photo Courtesy South Alabama Athletics
