The New Jersey native Josh Morris’s unique journey to notoriety and respect amongst his peers only continues to grow. Morris was born in Trenton, New Jersey, and grew to be a naturally bigger kid than everyone else.
He began becoming active around the age of seven or eight and has never looked back since. However, while remaining active, his older cousin, Roland Thompson, inspired him to pick up a basketball.
Thompson in his own regard made a name for himself throughout New Jersey basketball history. Thompson’s impact on Morris’s game was astronomical. In fact, Morris explains without Thompson showing him the skills and helping him develop at a young age he may not be at the level he is today.
“My cousin, Roland Thompson, was a true student of the game,” Morris explains in the Hypefresh interview. “He loved basketball and found a way to instill that in me. Unfortunately, his father’s passing hurt me as much as it did me because of his pivotal role as a father figure in my life.”
The Importance of the Development of Josh Morris
The most natural aspect of the game for Morris while young was finding ways to get his teammates involved in the game. He believed since young it was always funner finding someone cutting to the basket or wide open for a jump shot rather than being a one-man wrecking crew.
However, he expresses that while always being a big guy, he wasn’t always a large man. Therefore, he was forced to develop guard-like skills to compete with the taller defenders at the time.
“I wasn’t always bigger than everyone else, so my cousin would work with me constantly on my handles and wing moves,” Morris stated.
As he began to grow his opportunities began to grow as well. Until he started playing at the high school level. Morris found success throughout elementary and middle school, yet, he appeared to struggle to find his role at the high school level.
While he admits his team, Ewing High School, won a lot it became bittersweet. Due to the immense talent he was surrounded by, his role became smaller and smaller. In fact, he expressed he often felt overshadowed due to his lack of opportunities.
Later, he graduated with limited offers and decided to walk away from the game for good. However, when the passion and loves still there for something one can’t just let it go. He attended Maryland Eastern Shore for his freshman year of college as a pure student, however, that resulted back into him transferring back home to New Jersey.
What Type of College Experience did Josh Morris Have?
The experience Morris has had is extremely unique and can be found and used as inspiration for many athletes taking a similar route. He transferred from Maryland back home to New Jersey. He then attended, the County College of Morris, while still being stationed in Trenton, New Jersey at the time.
The distance between these places in the state of New Jersey ranges from 60 minutes to 90 minutes depending on traffic. Morris states that there were days he’d leave for school at 6:30 A.M. and return home around 11:30 P.M.
The mixture of school, commuting, and basketball practice didn’t leave much room for a social life for Morris. While this may sound miserable, he assures that it was the most focused and locked-in he’d ever been.
The fact it felt as if it was his last chance to make a name for himself, as well as the unfamiliarity of the setting forced him to lay low and stay focused.
When asked how this experience plagued him mentally, physically, and emotionally, Morris responded:
“The JUCO (junior community college) experience is not for the weak. If you allow distractions to affect your confidence, it will eventually dwindle. Ultimately, affecting your production and the way you view the game.”
While it can be detrimental to some, he believes if he had the choice to recommend it to someone, he believes he would. The process is not easy he admits, however, it built into the man he is today and believes financially it can be more fitting for one’s time.
Morris’s Unique Skillset and Style of Play
This season, he’s suiting up for Bloomfield College for his senior year season. Last season, he struggled from deep and finding his shot as he was battling a new environment, and family obligations.
Not to mention, Morris’s body fluctuating plays a huge part in his skillset. He admits it took at least one offseason to find his correct “walking around’ weight and this played into his inconsistencies last year.
However, this season, he feels much more confident going into the season. When asked, how important is it that his shot begins falling from deep, Morris responded:
“It’s extremely important, the shot literally opens up the rest of my game. When they have to respect the three-point shooting allows me to attack the lanes and get to the midrange jumper.”
All in all, while the seasoner opener has not arrived yet, he’s looking forward and attempting to accomplish some of his personal goals this season. One, in particular, Morris really wants to make an All-Conference team, as well as, help his team receive a tournament bid.
This holds weight to him because he wants to reach the success he found at the County College of Morris and gain the respect and notoriety he believes he deserves. While playing he often tries to emulate Joel Embiid, DeMarcus Cousins, and Hakeem Olajuwon.
One would agree, this makes tons of sense on why he emphasizes being as versatile as possible on the court.
Morris’s “Realization” Moment
Morris realized he can be a special player when he lost all confidence in himself because high school didn’t play out as he thought. However, after attempting to be a student and realizing it wasn’t what he wanted in the long run.
He transferred to CCM and became one of the greatest athletes to graduate from their institution. He went from being overlooked to receiving several offers, being player of the week, and even becoming an All-American.
Naturally, this boosted his confidence and helped him become the player he truly can become. From this point forward, he’s never looked back and refuses to allow his confidence to be snatched again.
During trying times, Morris always liked to tell himself that he must keep pushing forward because he hadn’t reached his end goal. With that being said, he never stopped to rest no matter how hard it got because he knew had s much more to complete.
“Whenever times begin to get tough, I always ask myself, ‘What’s the end goal?’”
Life After Basketball for Josh Morris
In conclusion, at some point, Morris whether his career advances to the next level or not wants to stay closely attached to the game.
This may mean training or coaching, however, he wants to help players become better versions of themselves in any way or shape possible. When asked if there was any advice he’d give to younger players, he responded:
“If you put your mind to it, always understand it can be completed, however, it’s just a matter of when. Never let anyone define who you are and most importantly always trust yourself.”