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Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know new two-way player Jaylen Morris

By Jordan Treske

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 3: Jaylen Morris #3 of the Atlanta Hawks goes to the basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Utah Summer League on July 3, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - JULY 3: Jaylen Morris #3 of the Atlanta Hawks goes to the basket against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2018 Utah Summer League on July 3, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 4: (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 4: (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Who is Jaylen Morris?

Born in Amherst, New York, Morris spent all four of his years in high school attending St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo.

It was there where Morris started the long road of developing his game playing for the Masked Marauders. The same went for his physical development as Morris hit a significant growth spurt between his junior and senior years, going from 5’10” to 6’2.”

When reflecting back on Morris’ time in high school, his coach, Miles Simon, reflected on what he saw out of the wing during that time to Jack Goods of the Buffalo News earlier this year:

"“I don’t think anyone will deny he was a little bit undersized,” said former St. Joe’s boys basketball coach Mark Simon. “But he was long and he was lanky and he could shoot it. … It should be a motivational story for any high school athlete who’s got potential to never give up the fight.”"

When it came time to continue his playing career into the college level, however, Morris struggled to field any scholarship offers from Division I schools around the country. Ultimately, Morris turned his attention and attended Molloy College, a Division-II school in Long Island where his father, Pat, had been brought on to the coaching staff two years earlier.

During his time at Molloy, Morris developed his game further and increased his efficiency and scoring output year over year. His progression was recognized starting in his sophomore season where he was named to the ECC Honorable Mention Team, which he followed up in his junior year by earning ECC All-Third Team honors and culminated in him taking home ECC All-First Team honors following his senior campaign.

From that same profile by Goods, Morris’ college coach, Charlie Marquardt, glowed about the versatility and overall development Morris displayed throughout his four years at Molloy:

"“I don’t think we had anyone who was so multidimensional,” said Marquardt, who has served as Molloy’s head coach since 1995. “Whether it was bringing the ball up or guarding a four, to going in the post. … He really put it together those past couple of years.”"

But as much as he grew during his time with the Lions, Morris faced similar hurdles to those he had experienced before setting his sights on Molloy when looking to launch his professional career.

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