The NCAA's suspension of Randolph Morris cements his spot in the NBA Draft Hall of Shame -- alongside Taj McDavid, Marcus Taylor and Korleone Young -- and paves the way for one of the most difficult seasons in recent Kentucky basketball history.
Not that Morris was all that good -- he averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds last season -- but he would have been Kentucky's only SEC-caliber big man.
Backups Shagari Alleyne and Lukasz Obrzut have NBA size but mid-major games, which is why Kentucky coach Tubby Smith swallowed his pride and fought for the return of Morris -- who had shunned the coach and the program this spring and summer.
Morris entered the 2005 NBA Draft, worked out for several teams, received help from SFX agency, then went undrafted. The NCAA on Thursday ruled he cannot play again until 2006-07.
With Morris officially done for the season, the Wildcats' options at center are limited to Alleyne, Obrzut, true freshman Jared Carter and a converted forward like Rekalin Sims or Sheray Thomas.
Even in a down year for the SEC, which has plenty of NCAA Tournament-caliber teams but no national powers, Kentucky (6-2) could be in for its toughest SEC season since 1990, when Rick Pitino rebuilt the program amid heavy NCAA sanctions. Kentucky went 10-8 that year in the SEC.
As for Morris, he joins a handful of the most dubious draft decisions in U.S. basketball history:
- McDavid, the South Carolina high school senior who turned down low-major scholarship offers to enter the 1996 NBA Draft, apparently because senior rival Jermaine O'Neal was doing the same thing. McDavid went undrafted. Until this story, you've never heard of Taj McDavid.
- Young, who entered the 1998 draft out of high school, was drafted in the second round, and has played a total of 15 minutes in the NBA. He has been bouncing from minor league to minor league ever since.
- Taylor, who derailed his NBA future by leaving Michigan State too early, after his sophomore season. He was taken late in the second round in 2002 but has never made an NBA roster.
Despite Thursday's decision by the NCAA, Morris still has been given a reprieve unavailable to that trio: After sitting this season, he will have two years of eligibility at Kentucky.
Will Morris capitalize and stay in school for two -- technically, three -- more years to work on his game and get an education? We'll see. Thus far, his decision-making track record is unimpressive.
