J’Mison Morgan never found his niche at UCLA. A top 25 prospect from the 2009 high school class, the 6-10 rarely got off the bench as a freshman. And when UCLA was plagued by injuries and sub-par play last season, it was more of the same as Morgan averaged just 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 40 games last season. Bruins coach Ben Howland dismissed Morgan in March.
“I decided it was in the best interest both for our program and for him to leave here,” Howland said then. “There’s a point in time where you have to move forward.”
He’ll get a chance to do so right away.
The Dallas native transferred to Baylor in April, but the big news for the Bears is that the NCAA granted his waiver request. He’ll be eligible to play during the 2010-11 season, the school announced Monday.
With star forward Epke Udoh and center Josh Lomers gone, Baylor could use the size. It has explosive players in Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones and incoming freshman Perry Jones, so it doesn’t need Morgan to be dynamite, just capable of grabbing a few rebounds.
If he does that, it’ll be a big step forward for him.
Mike Miller’s also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller, usually talkin’ hoops. Click here for more.