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March 2, 2007 > Sports > Focus on Morris Almond

Focus on Morris Almond

Before he heads to the NBA, the senior guard has his sights set on one thing a conference championship

By Chris Pasich | Thresher Editorial Staff

Every day at Autry Court, after the men’s basketball team finishes practice, one player remains alone on the floor. He shoots countless three-pointers, free throws and pull-up jumpers above and beyond any normal practice routine. As a result, senior Morris Almond has taken his game to new heights over the past two years, becoming one of the most prolific scorers in Rice history.

“He leads by example as far as coming into the gym, getting in his own shots, getting in extra time to better himself,” senior Lorenzo Williams said. “That’s something that I hadn’t seen a lot of [before], so it made me more motivated to come in and get some shots up and work on things I need to work on to help our team get better.”

Almond’s desire to improve himself has remained true since he arrived on the Rice campus as a highly touted freshman. He finished off a strong high school career ranked as one of the top recruits in the nation in multiple publications. He averaged 24 points and more than 10 rebounds per game in his junior year and was named a second-team all-state player for McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga., that same season.

It is surprising that the Owls were able to sign Almond at all coming out of high school. He received many scholarship offers, including some from major Division I programs such as Notre Dame and the University of Virginia. But head coach Willis Wilson (Will Rice ‘82) said Rice and Almond were a very good fit from the beginning.

“We thought that Rice would the kind of place that he would have an interest in,” Wilson said. “What we tried to sell Morris on was the fact that he could grow as a player, play on a winning program and get a great education. Those things were things that he was always attracted to.”

Early growing pains

Almond spent most of his first two years earning his playing time practice by practice — he did not start any games for the Owls, as star players like Michael Harris (Wiess ‘05), Jason McKrieth (Hanszen ‘05) and Brock Gillespie (Hanszen ‘05) got most of the playing time.

The Owls managed two berths to the National Invitational Tournament those years but were unable to get any further than the first round. Although Almond struggled with not being able to start, he understood that he had to earn his playing time and let the seniors have their moments.

“I had to realize the face of our team — we had solid teams those years,” Almond said. “Could I have put us over the hump? I don’t know, but it was tough nonetheless.”

There were early flashes of the brilliance he would display later in his career. In a hard-fought battle his sophomore season, Almond led the Owls with 17 points off the bench in a loss to UTEP. It was one of the first times Almond had shown his true skills on the court, and one of the memories that still remains with him today.

“[The game] was on ESPN, and all my family got to see it,” Almond said. “To this day, I think that was one of my best games, even more than the 20- and 30-point games, seeing as how I came off the bench and it wasn’t expected.”

Almond’s playing time increased throughout the season, as he made steady improvements to his performance. By the end of the year, he was one of the key reserves on the team, a scorer who did enough on the defensive end to warrant more playing time.

“I think what people really forget is that he played his way into significant minutes at the end of his sophomore year,” Wilson said. “He was a guy [whose] offense always got him on the floor and gave him a chance to play, and his ability to do other things [was what] ultimately got him the opportunity to stay on the floor.”

Ready for primetime

After Almond’s sophomore year, Harris, McKrieth and Gillespie graduated, leaving the Owls in desperate need of a presence on the offensive end of the court. Almond once again set out to become that presence, this time taking steps off the court and in the weight room to prepare himself physically for the upcoming season. According to Williams, the results were immediately visible.

“Two things I really noticed the most were his ball-handling ability and his physical appearance,” Williams said. “He got a lot bigger from sophomore year to junior year. He’d been working really hard in the weight room.”

As it turned out, however, he needed to improve his mentality to become an effective player. He opened the season slowly, averaging just under 11 points in his first five contests. However, as the non-conference portion of the Owls’ schedule wound down, Almond learned that he had to make contributions on both sides of the ball.

“I think his junior year … was when things really clicked in,” Wilson said. “He was able to really understand that to be a great player, to be an integral part of our team, he had to raise his overall intensity.”

Almond’s breakout season truly began with 2005-‘06 Conference USA play. Over the 14-game conference schedule, he led everyone with 26.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He managed six 30-point games and one 40-point game and was named a first team all-conference player.

As a team, however, the Owls were unable to follow the results of the previous two years with another strong finish. They stumbled down the stretch, losing four of their last five contests and closing the year with a 61-59 setback to Southern Methodist University in the first round of the conference tournament.

As the off-season began, Almond decided to test the professional waters and declare himself eligible for the NBA draft. The process proved to be a beneficial one, as he worked out with numerous NBA teams and had a strong showing in the Orlando, Fla. pre-draft camp. At the end of the process, however, he realized that he wanted to improve more and not leave Rice on a sour note.

“It can get a bit overwhelming, with all the money and the glitz and glam, and the celebrity to it,” Almond said. “And really, going through my whole decision making process, I had to put my ego aside and make the sensible decision and realize I had a lot left to accomplish in college.”

Almond returned to a roster in which he is one of the unquestioned leaders, along with Williams and fellow senior Greg Killings. And, from the start of the season onwards, his scoring prowess inspired his teammates’ improvement, as well.

“You see him every night putting up 25, 30 [points],” freshman Chris Hagan said. “The least I can do is come out and guard somebody or get a few deflections or get some assists, just do my part.”

An established star

The torrid pace Almond established at the end of his junior year continued to his senior year — he has led the Owls in scoring in all but two of their contests this season. In addition, he has scored 40 points on two occasions and 30 points in six other games.

At times, Almond has been forced to carry the team, as either injuries or inconsistent play have hurt the Owls throughout the year. Early in the year, when the Owls played Western Carolina University on a neutral site, the entire team was struggling and found themselves trailing 46-36 late in the second half. Almond took over, scoring 17 points during the Owls’ subsequent 19-9 run to put Rice up for good. He had 36 points on the night, including 29 of the team’s 37 second-half points. He also tied for the team lead with six rebounds and hit all 13 of his free throw attempts.

“We were down and he just carried us,” Hagan said. “He made every shot and got every rebound, he’d get fouled on threes, he would make them — he just carried us to victory. For him to step up like that — that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Almond has made a habit of carrying the team at other crucial times as well. In addition to the comeback against Western Carolina, he hit the game-winning shot against SMU Feb. 10, and has scored at least half of the Owls points in five games this season.

Individually, Almond has had one of the most prolific offensive seasons in Rice history. He has scored 743 points in the season through Wednesday night’s loss against Marshall and is third in the nation with a 26.4 point per game average. He is second in single-season scoring behind only Ricky Pierce (Will Rice ‘83), who scored 805 points in 1982. Almond is also the team leader in rebounding with 6.4 rebounds per contest.

In the end, the main reason for Almond’s return was to make a run at the conference championship. The Owls are in good position and can still finish high in C-USA by winning tomorrow afternoon against the University of Tulsa. And, given Almond’s potential for breaking out in any game, the Owls cannot be counted out.

“I didn’t start off averaging 20 a game, I didn’t start off being an all-conference player — I started from the end of the bench. If I can do it, the team can do it. And I know it sounds cliche, but if you put in the work you reap what you sow.”

End of article

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