Kansas basketball: Marcus Morris deserves to have his jersey retired
Kansas basketball alum Marcus Morris will have his jersey retired tonight and he’s more than deserving of the prestigious honor.
Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self announced last week that Marcus Morris would have his jersey retired in Allen Fieldhouse. Many fans were congratulatory; however, there was a sect that was against Morris receiving the honor.
Morris is more than deserving of having his number and name in the rafters though.
Morris’ accolades as a Jayhawk include:
- Consensus second-team All-American
- Big 12 Player of the Year
- First-team All-Big 12
Marcus and his twin brother Markieff both played three years for Bill Self and the Jayhawks, with both having great careers. Marcus would end up being drafted in the first round with the 14th overall pick. In our Top Ten Jayhawks of the Decade list, we ranked Morris as the fourth-best player of the 2010s.
While some fans were hesitant to retire Morris’ number, Bill Self knew from the moment he left that his number would be in the rafters: “We knew when Marcus left school in 2011 that his jersey would be retired.”
After leaving his mark on Kansas basketball, Morris has been making his way in the NBA. In his 10th season, Morris is averaging the most points in his career with 19.6 per game. He was also recently traded from the New York Knicks to the Los Angelas Clippers, which is a good deal. The Clippers are an NBA title contender, so Morris could very well be the next Jayhawk to win a ring.
Whether or not you believe Morris should have his jersey retired or not, you can’t deny that his career was one of the better ones of the 2010s.
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Kansas basketball has a lot of great names hanging in the rafters, and Morris expressed his excitement in being listed along with the greats:
"“To have my jersey up there with other great players like Wilt, Danny, and Paul, is an honor. I look forward to coming back to KU where I have so many great memories.”"
With Morris having graduated in 2011, it seems likely that the next Jayhawk in line to have their jersey retired is Thomas Robinson. Hopefully, they get him up there next season, because he’s extremely deserving as well.