Kansas basketball: Arterio Morris assault case closed, will play 2023-24 season

After a nearly year-long investigation into the Arterio Morris assault case, the Kansas basketball guard had it closed with a plea deal.

From the looks of it, Arterio Morris should be set to begin his first season with the Kansas Jayhawks this November.

The Texas transfer had been accused of causing a bodily injury to his ex-girlfriend in June of 2022. He was still deemed eligible to play his freshman season for the Longhorns, appearing in all 38 contests and posting an average of 4.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Morris pleaded no contest and entered an agreement for a Class C misdemeanor assault. He originally was facing a Class A charge, which could have resulted in one year in jail. Instead, he’ll need to pay a $362 fine without admitting guilt according to ESPN.

After months of fighting the case, his ex-girlfriend’s prosecution team attempted to drop the charges against Morris. However, the district attorney’s office carried on with the litigation.

With the plea deal in place, Morris will not have to go to trial. His court date on Oct. 2 has been canceled as a result. Therefore, he should be good to go for game one of the Kansas basketball season.

READ: Why Morris will be a lottery pick in 2024

Coming out of high school, the Dallas native was the top-ranked point guard in his class. However, he was stuck behind several players on Texas’ depth chart as a freshman and never materialized with the Longhorns. In hopes of rejuvenating his collegiate career, he committed to Kansas in May over DePaul and other schools.

Morris had been practicing with Bill Self and the Jayhawks since the team moved onto campus this past June. He was one of KU’s best players during their trip to Puerto Rico in August and should have a substantial role with Kansas basketball moving forward.