Indazone
11-20-2008, 12:48 PM
DREAMING BIG
TheStar.com | College | Sky's the limit for Toronto basketball sensation
Sky's the limit for Toronto basketball sensation
http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/37/fb/afb077984eed9d95f4f5f3c42ed7.jpeg STAR PHOTO
Toronto phenom Liam McMorrow, shown with a family relative, is 7-feet and hopes to make an impact in basketball at Marquette University.
Liam McMorrow is a hoops neophyte with 7 feet of upside
Sep 17, 2008 04:30 AM
Sports Reporter
Two years ago, Liam McMorrow had never even played a basketball game.
Today, he has a full scholarship with Marquette University, one of the top basketball programs in the United States.
That's what can happen when you grow six inches and crack the 7-foot mark.
Suddenly, a whole new future has opened up for the West Hill Collegiate graduate, who spent all his sports time in high school playing hockey and lacrosse.
"I am convinced that (McMorrow) will be one of the most unbelievable stories in college basketball and people will talk about it for years," said Marquette coach Buzz Williams. "Look where he is now, and then just wait and see where he'll be in five years."
McMorrow didn't play his first basketball game until joining the Durham College team in Oshawa last season.
"My interests were in other sports, not knowing where either would take me," McMorrow, 21, said from his dorm room in Milwaukee. "Back then, thinking about being in Wisconsin for basketball would have been something the furthest thing from my mind."
Based on his gene pool, perhaps it shouldn't have been. His father, an engineer, is 6-foot-7, while his mother, a nurse, is 6 feet. His sister Kathryn, at 5-foot-11, is the shortest of three siblings.
"Hard to believe something like this can happen," said McMorrow. "Kids dream of this; I blinked and got it. It's funny, I was one of those guys who just kept growing. People told me that I had to be crazy to be 7 feet and not play basketball. So, here I am – and with lots to learn."
He knows that his numbers weren't anything impressive last season: He averaged 8.3 points a game, and finished third in the league in blocked shots and eighth in rebounds. Durham had an overall 17-14 record, good for sixth place in the OCAA's East Division.
After being asked by recruiting coaches to provide basketball game tapes from his high school years, he received some strange responses after explaining that he never played as a teenager.
But he did get lucky, thanks in part to a former Torontonian.
Jamie McNeilly was playing basketball at the University of New Orleans during the 2006-07 season and tipped off his coach, Buzz Williams, about this big kid from his old Scarborough neighbourhood who was a pretty good athlete – and growing fast. Williams listened, and when he joined Marquette's coaching staff last season, he kept McMorrow in mind. McNeilly also wound up at Marquette as one of the team managers.
"This guy has the passion to do well, he has the size and he has showed us a dramatic improvement in a mere few months," said Williams. "God doesn't make a lot of 7-foot guys and I can already see that he'll figure it all out over the next year."
Because of NCAA transfer rules, the 255-pound McMorrow is still 15 months away from his first game. He does, however, have three years of NCAA eligibility.
McMorrow is the only Canadian on the Big East Conference team's roster and is also believed to be the only basketball player to jump from the OCAA to the NCAA. The Golden Eagles finished with a 25-10 overall record last year, losing to Stanford, 82-81 in overtime, in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
McMorrow is spending this season practising with the team at the McGuire Center, a state-of-the-art facility on campus.
"I want to play now but also understand the circumstances and will have plenty of time to develop, get stronger and learn more," he said. "For me, it's basketball 101 but I will be a big contributor to this team in a year."
His $43,000 (U.S.) scholarship is secure and will help him get a university education. Then he plans to pursue a career in sports broadcasting, but is also mindful of the NBA.
For now, though, he's probably one of this country's best-kept basketball secrets. Neither Basketball Canada nor the Toronto Raptors had ever heard of McMorrow.
"It's not shocking that he's (at Marquette)," said Durham head coach Desmond Rowley. "They see his potential, he'll fit right in and they'll get him ready for next year. He's a bright kid, learns quickly and for a big guy can run up and down the court quite well."
Kid didn't pick up a basketball until two years ago. Can he make it? Lot of big man skills and basketball handling skills to learn.
TheStar.com | College | Sky's the limit for Toronto basketball sensation
Sky's the limit for Toronto basketball sensation
http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/37/fb/afb077984eed9d95f4f5f3c42ed7.jpeg STAR PHOTO
Toronto phenom Liam McMorrow, shown with a family relative, is 7-feet and hopes to make an impact in basketball at Marquette University.
Liam McMorrow is a hoops neophyte with 7 feet of upside
Sep 17, 2008 04:30 AM
Sports Reporter
Two years ago, Liam McMorrow had never even played a basketball game.
Today, he has a full scholarship with Marquette University, one of the top basketball programs in the United States.
That's what can happen when you grow six inches and crack the 7-foot mark.
Suddenly, a whole new future has opened up for the West Hill Collegiate graduate, who spent all his sports time in high school playing hockey and lacrosse.
"I am convinced that (McMorrow) will be one of the most unbelievable stories in college basketball and people will talk about it for years," said Marquette coach Buzz Williams. "Look where he is now, and then just wait and see where he'll be in five years."
McMorrow didn't play his first basketball game until joining the Durham College team in Oshawa last season.
"My interests were in other sports, not knowing where either would take me," McMorrow, 21, said from his dorm room in Milwaukee. "Back then, thinking about being in Wisconsin for basketball would have been something the furthest thing from my mind."
Based on his gene pool, perhaps it shouldn't have been. His father, an engineer, is 6-foot-7, while his mother, a nurse, is 6 feet. His sister Kathryn, at 5-foot-11, is the shortest of three siblings.
"Hard to believe something like this can happen," said McMorrow. "Kids dream of this; I blinked and got it. It's funny, I was one of those guys who just kept growing. People told me that I had to be crazy to be 7 feet and not play basketball. So, here I am – and with lots to learn."
He knows that his numbers weren't anything impressive last season: He averaged 8.3 points a game, and finished third in the league in blocked shots and eighth in rebounds. Durham had an overall 17-14 record, good for sixth place in the OCAA's East Division.
After being asked by recruiting coaches to provide basketball game tapes from his high school years, he received some strange responses after explaining that he never played as a teenager.
But he did get lucky, thanks in part to a former Torontonian.
Jamie McNeilly was playing basketball at the University of New Orleans during the 2006-07 season and tipped off his coach, Buzz Williams, about this big kid from his old Scarborough neighbourhood who was a pretty good athlete – and growing fast. Williams listened, and when he joined Marquette's coaching staff last season, he kept McMorrow in mind. McNeilly also wound up at Marquette as one of the team managers.
"This guy has the passion to do well, he has the size and he has showed us a dramatic improvement in a mere few months," said Williams. "God doesn't make a lot of 7-foot guys and I can already see that he'll figure it all out over the next year."
Because of NCAA transfer rules, the 255-pound McMorrow is still 15 months away from his first game. He does, however, have three years of NCAA eligibility.
McMorrow is the only Canadian on the Big East Conference team's roster and is also believed to be the only basketball player to jump from the OCAA to the NCAA. The Golden Eagles finished with a 25-10 overall record last year, losing to Stanford, 82-81 in overtime, in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
McMorrow is spending this season practising with the team at the McGuire Center, a state-of-the-art facility on campus.
"I want to play now but also understand the circumstances and will have plenty of time to develop, get stronger and learn more," he said. "For me, it's basketball 101 but I will be a big contributor to this team in a year."
His $43,000 (U.S.) scholarship is secure and will help him get a university education. Then he plans to pursue a career in sports broadcasting, but is also mindful of the NBA.
For now, though, he's probably one of this country's best-kept basketball secrets. Neither Basketball Canada nor the Toronto Raptors had ever heard of McMorrow.
"It's not shocking that he's (at Marquette)," said Durham head coach Desmond Rowley. "They see his potential, he'll fit right in and they'll get him ready for next year. He's a bright kid, learns quickly and for a big guy can run up and down the court quite well."
Kid didn't pick up a basketball until two years ago. Can he make it? Lot of big man skills and basketball handling skills to learn.