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The Indiana Daily Student

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4-star forward commits to men's basketball

His blue shirt contrasting sharply with the bright orange banner draped on the podium in front of him, Juwan Morgan tugged at the black tie around his neck.

“Division I basketball has been a dream of mine since third grade,” he said, voice shaking. “Every time I see them on the court, I just wanted to be there. At the time, I was short and chunky ... then one year, I just grew six inches.”

In one announcement, Juwan Morgan began his IU basketball career and ended another.

A small collection of cameras, reporters and fans had gathered in Waynesville High School’s gym in Waynesville, Mo., tosee Morgan, now 6-foot-8-inches, announce where he would fulfill that dream.

“Academics, player development and playing time are the best things I want to get,” he said, pulling a white shirt from the podium and holding it aloft. “So I decided to further my education at Indiana University.”

While the addition of Morgan, a 6-foot-8 power forward, projects to bring positive results to IU’s on-court performance, it only furthers the scholarship logjam in the program.

Per NCAA rules, a Division I men’s basketball program is allocated 13 scholarships per season. Each of IU’s 13 slots is filled, and with no seniors on the 2014-15 roster, no opening appears imminent for next season.

In essence, Morgan’s commitment signals the impending end of a current Hoosier’s IU career. To make the scholarship numbers work, at least one scholarship member of the current squad will need to leave the program after this season.

Despite the scholarship shuffling, Morgan may be the solution to IU’s frontcourt issues.

Entering the 2014-15 season, the Hoosiers’ roster boasts just four players who stand 6-foot-8 or taller. Of those, just two — junior Hanner Mosquera-Perea and freshman Jeremiah April — are true post players.

Morgan’s addition may give IU Coach Tom Crean a player to fill the void left by Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh’s departures to the NBA.

“(Morgan) owns a high field-goal percentage because he plays and operates best in the paint,” ESPN said in its scouting report. “(Morgan) is emerging as a defender who can block shots with his bounce and length.”

His commitment adds to Crean’s impressive recruiting résumé. In his seven seasons at the helm in Bloomington, Crean has received commitments from 14 four or five-star recruits.

Waynesville Coach Chris Pilz said Morgan’s versatility and character are what made him a prized recruit.

“Juwan is a great teammate,” Pilz said. “He has been in the spotlight, that’s hard to handle sometimes, but his teammates love him. He shares the ball. A guy who could’ve scored 25 to 30 points last season averaged 19. He shares the basketball.

“He is the complete package. Major college coaches have watched him across the country because he’s versatile and because of his high academics and how he handles himself off the court.”

He averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game in his junior season, earning 2014 Ozark Conference Player of the Year honors. Rivals ranks him as the No. 105 recruit in the class of 2015.

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