‘Last Year, Best Year’: Morris, Murray Leading UK as Seniors
This time three years ago, it felt to Maci Morris like she would never be leaving Kentucky.
Times have changed.
“My freshman year, I was like, ‘This is taking forever,’ ” Morris said. “Once that season ended, it just flew by. I can’t believe that I’m a senior in college.”
Believe it or not, she is. In about five short months, Morris will be playing her last game as a Wildcat. It should come as no surprise that Morris is eager to make them count.
Already the 20th-leading scorer in program history, Morris enters her senior season having scored 1,209 points. Morris will resume her climb up the all-time scoring list when the Wildcats open the 2018-19 season on Nov. 7 vs. Alabama State, with an exhibition vs. Lincoln Memorial University before that on Nov. 2.
Morris, as she did last year in averaging 17.3 points, will carry a heavy load for her team alongside fellow senior guard Taylor Murray, the team’s leader last year in assists and steals. In spite of Morris and Murray’s contributions, UK’s 2017-18 season ended short of the NCAA Tournament. The two seniors have been talking about what they need to do to change that this year.
“We started talking about it last year, knowing that we gotta lead this team to be successful,” Morris said. “I think the whole team this summer put in a lot work and everybody’s been working really hard and we’ve grown with our team chemistry. It’s made it a little bit easier for us, but we know when it comes down to it that we gotta be the ones that come in every day and set the tone so everybody else has that example to follow.”
So far, Murray feels good about the way her younger teammates are following her and Morris’s example.
“I’m just very motivated,” Murray said. “I think starting in the summertime going on our international trip and then just progressing to the offseason, everyone has improved. They’ve gotten stronger. I think we’ve just been working really well as a team and just staying committed to each other and just getting better each and every day.”
Speaking of motivation and commitment, Matthew Mitchell has plenty of both when he thinks about this being his last opportunity to coach Morris and Murray.
“These seniors have fully invested in their time at Kentucky and they have given a lot on the court but also been through some turbulent times,” Mitchell said. “They have kind of run the gamut during their time here. For them to really finish off with a special season, I am highly motivated as a coach to help them do that. I know they are motivated to do that as players. I’m looking forward to their senior season. They are going to do great.”
To that end, Mitchell is challenging both to improve. With Murray, he never has to worry about her accepting that kind of challenge.
“She’s made a jump and a progression every year with her game and you know, I think that speaks volume and then just her willingness to get out of her comfort zone and become more vocal,” Mitchell said. “… She talks plenty and is verbal but doesn’t project her voice. She’s a bit mild-mannered with the volume of her voice and just her willingness to communicate and get out of her comfort zone. It’s not the easiest thing to do. It’s been something I really admire. High-quality, high-character person, and somebody we’re ready to go to battle in the SEC with and really, really proud of her.”
Mitchell is similarly proud of Morris, a player who has proven wrong anyone who pegs her as only an outside shooter.
“She can make all the shots,” Mitchell said. “She can go to the rim on you. She can score at the rim off one foot or two feet. She’s got a great pull-up jumper and great 3-point jumper and she’s got one of the strongest jab-step step-backs. She’s really got some strength. She can put it on the floor and make you think she’s going by you and get you into a retreat position and she can really stop and get into a step-back jumper that just not many people can do.”
Now, Mitchell is asking her to play defense to match her offense.
“So I think she knows, for us this year, that a sub-par effort on defense is not acceptable and you kind of stay on the floor and score 22 points for us, but you’re not hustling to your capability on the defensive end,” Mitchell said. “I think she’s got that mindset fixed right now where she knows how important her defense is.”
Morris will have plenty of opportunity for defensive hustle, as the “40 minutes of dread” defense that help spark UK’s ascendance as a program in 2009-10 is back.
“It’s alive and kicking,” Mitchell said. “I shouldn’t say alive and well yet, because it doesn’t look too great right now but we’re committed to it. It fits our personnel.”
There was talk of the press returning last season, but UK was never able to go all in on it. This time around, things are different.
“I’m excited for it because in order for us to have success that’s what we’re going to have to do,” Morris said. “Last year, it was a little iffy just because I didn’t know how we were going to be with so many newcomers. Since we have some returners and really good freshmen coming it, I think it’s going to work well for us.”
That’s good news for Morris, because she’s all about going out with a bang.
“I’m super excited,” Morris said. “Last year, best year, right? I’m just ready to get out here, start playing games and enjoy my last games as a UK Wildcat.”
