7/3/2023 0 Comments Ja morant sttsHe posted his first triple-double on December 28, recording 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists in an 80–52 win over Eastern Illinois. He recorded his first career double-double on December 12, 2017, with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 69–55 loss to Saint Louis. On November 10, 2017, Morant debuted for Murray State with 7 points and a team-high 11 assists in a 118–61 victory over Brescia University of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). His father said, "Every parent wants their child to play at a big-time program, but what I realized is, don't go where you want to be, go to where they want you." His other Division I offers included Duquesne, Maryland Eastern Shore, South Carolina State, and Wofford. On September 3, 2016, Morant committed to playing for Murray State during dinner at McMahon's house. While looking for a snack, Kane noticed Morant playing a three-on-three game in an auxiliary gym impressed, he contacted head coach Matt McMahon, who soon offered Morant a scholarship. He was accidentally discovered by mid-major program Murray State of the OVC in July 2016, when assistant coach James Kane attended a camp hoping to see a player who was joining his team. His only high major NCAA Division I offer came from South Carolina. Morant was not ranked by recruiting services ESPN, 247Sports, or Rivals. Morant also left high school as a three-time All-Region Most Valuable Player (MVP). In his last two seasons at Crestwood, he averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, earning South Carolina Class 3A All-State honors both years. Morant left as its all-time leading scorer, with 1,679 points, and scored a career-high 47 points against Sumter High School. He grew from 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) to 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) in his first three years with the team. Morant attended Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. For one season, he was teammates with Zion Williamson, who became one of the top players in his class. ![]() In his childhood, he often faced older opponents, telling his mother, "I'm not worried about the big kids." Morant played in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit with the South Carolina Hornets, a small grassroots team based in Columbia, South Carolina. Morant trained in his backyard with his father, Tee Morant, who taught him step-back jump shots and bought tractor tires for him to practice jumping with a soft landing. After playing semi-professionally, Tee considered playing professional basketball overseas, but when Jamie became pregnant with Ja, he abandoned his basketball career and stayed at home, becoming a barber instead. His mother, Jamie, was a point guard in high school and a softball player in college, while his father was a high school teammate of Ray Allen and played basketball for Claflin University. Morant was born in Dalzell, South Carolina, to parents, Tee and Jamie Morant. He was named to his first NBA All Star Game in 2022 as a starter, and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award at the conclusion of the season, Morant was also selected to his first All-NBA Team in 2022. ![]() Morant was selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft and named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020. ![]() Also as a sophomore, Morant became the first player in NCAA history to average 20-plus points and 10-plus assists per game for a single season. ![]() He had a breakout sophomore season it saw him win OVC Player of the Year as well as lead the NCAA in assists. Nevertheless, he made an immediate impact at Murray State University, earning first-team all-conference honors in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) as a freshman. Morant was only lightly recruited by NCAA Division I programs and unranked by recruiting services, despite having been named All-Region Most Valuable Player three times and earning All-State honors at Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019. Temetrius Jamel " Ja" Morant (born August 10, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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