AJ Morris is a graduate transfer 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard on the Newman University Jets basketball team. Morris received his bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Alcorn State University before transferring to Newman to pursue a master’s in Business Administration.
A Cary, NC native, Morris nearly committed to Newman in 2019 when he completed Junior College but instead chose Alcorn State, a larger HBCU Division 1 program. He credits the strong relationships he built with the coaching staff during his visit to the campus two years ago as his reason for coming to Newman, despite having multiple options.
“ I liked Newman a lot when I came on my visit, and I wanted to come here, but at the time, I was listening to other people about what I should do. So, after I graduated from Alcorn, I wanted to go somewhere where I felt wanted, and Coach Allen showed me a lot of love in 2019 and even this past year when I entered the transfer portal,” said Morris.
Before Alcorn, Morris spent two seasons at Chattanooga State CC and was the team’s floor general in 2019, ranking top-50 in the country with a 3.0 assist: turnover ratio, dishing out 6.4 assists per game. He averaged 12.6 points and netted 30 points twice on his way to receiving second-team Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Conference Region VII honors and obtaining his associate’s degree.
With a cumulative 3.0 GPA, Morris has always put his education first. After graduating from Newman, he plans to use both his communications and business degrees.
“ When I finish school, I plan on becoming a college coach; I want to work and be around basketball in any aspect, so that’s why I chose mass communications and the business degree so I can get into sports journalism or sports broadcasting. So that’s something I’m interested in as well,” said Morris.
The talented point guard is also an outdoorsman. He developed his love for hiking during his time in Chattanooga, TN.
“ Some of my friends from Tennessee put me on to hiking. So hiking, swimming, camping is how I like to spend my offseason and spare time,” Morris said.
Morris’ first game with the Newman Jets will be on Fri., Nov 12, at 6 p.m. against Concordia St. Paul University in Minneapolis, MN.