Randolph Morris
Encyclopedia
Randolph Albert Morris is an American
professional basketball
player who currently plays for the Beijing Ducks
of the Chinese Basketball Association
.
's Landmark Christian High School, Morris nearly averaged a triple-double at 23.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg and 8.0 bpg, which earned him McDonald's All-American Team
status. Randolph Morris was the #2 rated center and #10 overall prospect by Rivals.com
in a year when a record eight high schoolers went directly to the NBA draft. Morris strongly considered a jump straight to the NBA as well, but decided to spend at least a year in school. Kentucky
won a late recruiting battle, after drawing Morris away from early favorite Georgia Tech. Morris, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford
and Rajon Rondo
, gave Kentucky the top-rated recruiting class in the nation. Also, in that same recruiting class was Kentucky
teammate Ramel Bradley
.
, Morris decided to declare for the 2005 NBA draft
but did not hire an agent. He averaged 8.8 points per game and 4.2 rebounds. Despite playing well for Kentucky and starting every game but one, he did not prove himself NBA ready and often got in foul trouble. Morris went undrafted and decided to attempt a return to Kentucky. The NCAA agreed to reinstate him, but not before sitting out the first half of the 2005-2006 season. Morris returned to Kentucky in January 2006, but could not help the team get out of its season-long slump. Nevertheless, he improved in almost every statistical category from his freshman year and was very impressive at times. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.3 points and 6 rebounds per game. In his junior season Morris made further progress, averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, earning first team All-SEC honors.
. He was not drafted, but because he did not hire an agent, Morris was allowed to return to Kentucky to continue playing college basketball. At the same time, because the NBA's collective bargaining agreement prohibited him from re-entering into a future draft, Morris was also legally a free agent, who could be signed at any time; he would be able to leave Kentucky in the middle of the college basketball season if signed by an NBA team.
Morris took advantage of being a free agent, and signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the New York Knicks
on March 23, 2007, 5 days after Kentucky was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. Morris became the first player in history to go from the NCAA to the NBA in the same week, when he signed with the New York Knicks
. When the then head coach of Kentucky, Tubby Smith
resigned and took the job with the Minnesota Golden Gophers
, the University of Kentucky
and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart asked Morris to wait until UK found a new head coach to replace Smith, but Morris chose to sign with the Knicks
instead of waiting.
In the summer of 2008, Morris joined the summer league team of the Atlanta Hawks
, and signed a two year, $1.7 million contract with the Hawks on July 29.
He joined the Beijing Ducks for the 2010-2011 season of CBA.
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | New York
| 5 || 0 || 8.8 || 16.7 || 0 || 33.3 || 1.8 || .2 || .4 || .2 || .8
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | New York
| 18 || 2 || 10.1 || 36.2 || 0 || 48.3 || 2.1 || .1 || .2 || .1 || 3.1
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 23 || 0 || 3.9 || 41.2 || 0 || 100 || .9 || .1 || .1 || .0 || .8
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 28 || 0 || 4.4 || 56.1 || 0 || 59.3 || 1.4 || .1 || .2 || .1 || 2.2
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 74 || 2 || 5.9 || 42.6 || 0 || 54.5 || 1.4 || .1 || .2 || .1 || 1.9
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 3 || 0 || 2.7 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .7 || .0 || .3 || .0 || .0
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 3 || 0 || 3.3 || .500 || .000 || 1.000 || .7 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 6 || 0 || 3.0 || .333 || .000 || 1.000 || .7 || .0 || .2 || .0 || .5
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who currently plays for the Beijing Ducks
Beijing Ducks
Beijing Jinyu Ducks or Beijing Ducks or Beijing Jinyu is a basketball team in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Beijing. They were formerly known as the Beijing Shougang Ducks or Beijing Shougang; the name change was likely due to a change of corporate sponsorship...
of the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
.
High school
As a senior for Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
's Landmark Christian High School, Morris nearly averaged a triple-double at 23.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg and 8.0 bpg, which earned him McDonald's All-American Team
McDonald's All-American Team
The McDonald's All-American Game refers to each of the all-star basketball games played each year for boys' and girls' high-school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top American and Canadian players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball...
status. Randolph Morris was the #2 rated center and #10 overall prospect by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
in a year when a record eight high schoolers went directly to the NBA draft. Morris strongly considered a jump straight to the NBA as well, but decided to spend at least a year in school. Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
won a late recruiting battle, after drawing Morris away from early favorite Georgia Tech. Morris, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford
Joe Crawford (basketball, born 1986)
Joseph "Joe" Reshard Crawford II is an American professional basketball player. A former shooting guard for the University of Kentucky, he was selected as the 58th overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Draft. He signed with the Lakers on August 27, 2008, but was waived October 22,...
and Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo
Rajon Pierre Rondo is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career, before receiving a...
, gave Kentucky the top-rated recruiting class in the nation. Also, in that same recruiting class was Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
teammate Ramel Bradley
Ramel Bradley
Ramel Bradley is a former American college basketball point guard for the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team currently playing for Maccabi Ashdod.-High school:...
.
College
After a solid debut in his first year at KentuckyKentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
, Morris decided to declare for the 2005 NBA draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...
but did not hire an agent. He averaged 8.8 points per game and 4.2 rebounds. Despite playing well for Kentucky and starting every game but one, he did not prove himself NBA ready and often got in foul trouble. Morris went undrafted and decided to attempt a return to Kentucky. The NCAA agreed to reinstate him, but not before sitting out the first half of the 2005-2006 season. Morris returned to Kentucky in January 2006, but could not help the team get out of its season-long slump. Nevertheless, he improved in almost every statistical category from his freshman year and was very impressive at times. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.3 points and 6 rebounds per game. In his junior season Morris made further progress, averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, earning first team All-SEC honors.
Pro career
After his freshman year at Kentucky, Morris declared himself eligible for the 2005 NBA Draft2005 NBA Draft
The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from high schools and non-North American leagues...
. He was not drafted, but because he did not hire an agent, Morris was allowed to return to Kentucky to continue playing college basketball. At the same time, because the NBA's collective bargaining agreement prohibited him from re-entering into a future draft, Morris was also legally a free agent, who could be signed at any time; he would be able to leave Kentucky in the middle of the college basketball season if signed by an NBA team.
Morris took advantage of being a free agent, and signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
on March 23, 2007, 5 days after Kentucky was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. Morris became the first player in history to go from the NCAA to the NBA in the same week, when he signed with the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. When the then head coach of Kentucky, Tubby Smith
Tubby Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...
resigned and took the job with the Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...
, the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart asked Morris to wait until UK found a new head coach to replace Smith, but Morris chose to sign with the Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
instead of waiting.
In the summer of 2008, Morris joined the summer league team of the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
, and signed a two year, $1.7 million contract with the Hawks on July 29.
He joined the Beijing Ducks for the 2010-2011 season of CBA.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | New York
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 5 || 0 || 8.8 || 16.7 || 0 || 33.3 || 1.8 || .2 || .4 || .2 || .8
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | New York
| 18 || 2 || 10.1 || 36.2 || 0 || 48.3 || 2.1 || .1 || .2 || .1 || 3.1
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left" | Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
| 23 || 0 || 3.9 || 41.2 || 0 || 100 || .9 || .1 || .1 || .0 || .8
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 28 || 0 || 4.4 || 56.1 || 0 || 59.3 || 1.4 || .1 || .2 || .1 || 2.2
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 74 || 2 || 5.9 || 42.6 || 0 || 54.5 || 1.4 || .1 || .2 || .1 || 1.9
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2008–09
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Atlanta
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
| 3 || 0 || 2.7 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .7 || .0 || .3 || .0 || .0
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left" | Atlanta
| 3 || 0 || 3.3 || .500 || .000 || 1.000 || .7 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 6 || 0 || 3.0 || .333 || .000 || 1.000 || .7 || .0 || .2 || .0 || .5