Matt Morgan (basketball)

Matthew Garnell Morgan (born November 7, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the London Lions of the British Basketball League (BBL). He played college basketball for Cornell.

Matt Morgan
No. 30 – London Lions
PositionPoint guard
LeagueBBL
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1997-11-07) November 7, 1997 (age 26)
Concord, North Carolina
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolCox Mill
(Concord, North Carolina)
CollegeCornell (2015–2019)
NBA draft2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2021Raptors 905
2021–2022Konyaspor
2022–2023Le Mans
2023–presentLondon Lions
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career edit

Morgan attended Cox Mill High School, joining the varsity team as a sophomore. He scored 760 points during his junior season.[1] His jersey was retired on senior night as he helped his team claim a share of the South Piedmont championship.[2] Morgan graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer though his records were since broken by Wendell Moore Jr.[3] He received scant collegiate recruiting attention, eventually signing with Cornell.[1]

College career edit

As a freshman, Morgan compiled six Ivy League rookie of the week honors and was named league player of the week after scoring a school freshman-record 33 points in a win against Harvard. He earned Second Team All-Ivy League honors, averaging 18.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.[4] As a sophomore, Morgan led the Ivy League in scoring, averaging 18.1 points to go with 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game.[5] He was named to the Second Team All-Ivy League.[6] Morgan averaged 22.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game as a junior, earning First Team All-Ivy League honors. Following the season, he declared for the 2018 NBA draft but ultimately returned to school.[7] On January 9, 2019, Morgan scored a career-high 38 points including a school-record nine 3-pointers in an 86-74 win over Towson. He also became the second Cornell player to surpass 2,000 points after Ryan Wittman and set a school record for career free throws with 438 in the victory.[8] As a senior, Morgan averaged 22.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 43 percent from 3-point range. He was named to the First Team All-Ivy League and was selected to play in the Reese’s College All-Star Game.[9] Morgan finished his career at Cornell with 2,333 points, becoming the Ivy League's second all-time leading scorer behind Bill Bradley.[10]

Professional career edit

After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Morgan signed with the Toronto Raptors for summer league play. He averaged 4.3 points, two rebounds and one assist per game in the summer league.[3] He signed with the Raptors on October 17, 2019, only to be waived on October 20.[11] Morgan joined the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League and missed the team's second game with an unspecified illness or injury. In the third game of the season, he scored 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range in a loss to the Maine Red Claws, while also contributing five rebounds and five assists.[10] On January 12, 2020, Morgan scored a career-high 21 points in a 123-119 loss to the College Park Skyhawks.[12] Morgan averaged 8.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game in his rookie season for Raptors 905.[3] The following season, he averaged 8.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 2.5 assists per game.

On August 20, 2021, Morgan signed with Konyaspor of the Turkish Basketball First League.[13]

On June 21, 2022, he signed with Le Mans of the French Pro A.[14]

On July 20, 2023, Morgan signed with London Lions of the British Basketball League (BBL).[15]

Personal life edit

Morgan's father Lamont Morgan played basketball at Georgetown in the 1980s.[1] He has 3 Brothers. The middle brother, Malcolm, is currently playing at Emory & Henry University. The two youngest, Myles and Marcus Morgan are twins and are currently playing college basketball for Roanoke College

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Srinivasan, Sidd (February 5, 2017). "From Small Stature To Big Dreams: Cornell Basketball's Matt Morgan". The Cornell Daily Sun. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "Cox Mill rolls Carson en route to SPC championship". USA Today. February 13, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Horton, C Jemal (March 19, 2020). "The Waiting Game: With his pro career on the ascent, Cox Mill's Morgan must sit as NBA suspends play (WITH VIDEO)". Independent Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "Matt Morgan Named To All-Ivy Men's Basketball Second Team". Cornell Big Red. March 9, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "2017-18 MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON TO BEGIN THIS WEEKEND". Ivy League. November 9, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "Men's Basketball All-Ivy, Postseason Awards Announced" (Press release). Ivy League. March 8, 2017. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  7. ^ "Morgan Puts His Name Into Consideration For NBA Draft". Cornell Big Red. April 3, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "Morgan breaks records in 86-74 Cornell win over Towson". USA Today. Associated Press. January 9, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  9. ^ "PAIR OF IVIES SELECTED TO PLAY IN REESE'S COLLEGE ALL-STAR GAME AT 2019 FINAL FOUR". Ivy League. April 3, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Ditota, Donna (November 18, 2019). "Former Cornell basketball star Matt Morgan is teaming with 2 Syracuse guys, playing for pay". The Post-Standard. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  11. ^ Sullivan, Andrew (October 22, 2019). "Update: Cornell's Matt Morgan signed then released by Raptors". Ithaca Times. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  12. ^ Gaudes, John (January 16, 2020). "Dial 905: Raptors come up empty to start extended road trip". Raptors HQ. SB Nation. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Yahyabeyoglu, Fersu (August 20, 2021). "Matt Morgan is a newcomer at Konyaspor". Eurobasket. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Konyaspor'un skoreri Le Mans'ta" (in Turkish). basketfaul. June 21, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "LONDON LIONS SIGN MATT MORGAN". London Lions. London Lions. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.

External links edit