Jordan Morgan Appreciation Thread
This is Senior Day week! With Horford officially coming back next year, that leaves the only lone senior on the team, Jordan Morgan.
HS years:
He came to Michigan as a kid who was probably out of shape and wasn't very good in HS at U of D Jesuit. Many, if not all, questioned the offer. His own dad was stunned when John Beilein offerred the scholarship to Jordan.
College years:
His freshman year, he opted to redshirt his freshman year after injuring his knee before the season started. It fueled even more questions on JB's offer on Morgan. There was uncertainity about his play after his redshirt year. Morgan started his career as a starter, starting every games as a redshirt freshman, averaging 9.2 pt per game and was a big beneficionary of Darius Morris' passes from pick and roll.
Jordan continues to make an impact in his sophomore year, but his scoring numbers suffered because he lost Morris to the NBA and had Burke who is a freshman PG trying to find his way with the team. As his career with Michigan goes on, it became clear that he is being valued as a leader and defensive presence despite his size at C and contribute with little things to help the team win games.
Last season, Jordan started every game until he sufferred an sprained ankle injury against Illinois on January 27, 2013. He missed quite a few games recovering from it. It was then, he lost his job to Mitch McGary and was relegated to the bench. When he was on the court, it was clear that it wasn't the same Jordan with limited mobility and rebounding. During the NCAA tournament, with the emergence of Mitch McGary, Jordan became a 3rd big guy off the bench behind Horford and barely played in the tournament.
Before this season, when Mitch announced along with GRIII that he is coming back for his sophomore year, it could've been real easy for Jordan to forego his final year of eligibility with Michigan and transfer to a different school to get more PT, but he never did, knowing that his role would be similar to what he had done during the NCAA tournament. Because of his leadership, he was named team captain along with Jon Horford and GRIII. With McGary's back problem persisted, Horford got the starting nod over Morgan. It wasn't until McGary was declared out indefinitely that Jordan finally got his starting spot back and never looked back. He contributed for the team in a big way with defense and rebounding. His reward for sticking with Michigan is an outright B1G title.
Thank you Jordan for your 5 years of contribution, and you definitely proved a lot of people wrong by becoming a significant contributor of a nationally ranked Michigan team. Along with Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, you were one of the foundation pieces that led to the rise of Michigan basketball. Michigan would definitely be a worse team without you. Jordan Morgan, we salute you!
I think you covered it pretty well OP
Outstanding summary of his career. I'd like to add my thanks for the dedication to the team and to Michigan. He has been an outstanding representative for the school.
You are correct sir!
I wish I could go through a college sports exercise program.
According to CBS, Morgan has played in 134 games. It looks like Stu Douglass has the Michigan record at 136. With the Indiana game, the BTT, and the NCAA tournament left, Morgan is basically guaranteed to walk out of Ann Arbor with a pretty cool, well deserved school record.
Literally defines the past 5 years of Michigan Basketball.
Literally. It's weird. The guy's always walking around saying things like, "The past 5 years of Michigan Basketball refers to what the University of Michigan Men's Basketball program has done from the 2009-10 through 2013-14 seasons."
Or seriously trolling.
Ever notice how people use the word "literally" when they shouldn't?
So funny!
Morgan is one of the most mentally tough players I've seen at Michigan in a while. Didn't let any of his setbacks phase him. Just showed up and went to work, all while getting an engineering degree. What a freaking stud.
OP covered it pretty well.
I'm sure he's very proud to see where this program is now compared to when he originally signed on. The OP said it but it's worth repeating: like Stu and Novak, JMo's stewardship has been critical in helping M become a great program. It doesn't hurt that he's been able to provide defense, rebounding, and scoring as part of the two-headed Jondan Horgan combo. Just recently, the Purdue dunks will be major highlights for this season. The B1G championship would still be in doubt heading into the Indiana game without his doing the "little things that help win games" as the OP said.
Here's hoping for a great Senior Day and a big victory over IU to send Jordan off in style.
a lot. Thank you Jordan!
...and an engineering degree and one year of a master's program under his belt. The best don't always have the big stats.
I had grave doubts about where the season was headed when Mitch went down, but Morgan really stepped up and has played far better basketball than I thought he could. His ability to stabilize C was critical to the team's success. Great job by the kid.
Novak, Douglass, and Morgan are the three players I'll remember above all others when looking back at the Beilein "turnaround" era.
Jordan Morgan: Two Big Ten Championships, 6-2 record against MSU, wins at every venue in the Big Ten, and a Final Four. Best resume of any Michigan player in over 25 years, insanity.
Wrote some of the same below. I agree. He's done everything at Michigan except for win a National Championship and Big Ten Tournament Championship. There's still time for that...
I found Jordan's High School team picture from U of D.
That's him, second from the left in the second row. What a transformation!
Thank you Jordan! Hail
His recruitment was 'under the radar' to say the least. His early years at M were not great. But his continued development has been outstanding. He emerged as a reliable rebounder, post defender, & team leader in 2011'-12'. He has continued to get better through 13' & now 14' as well. He has become a "Good Big Ten Player"; This is my own internal gauge of a players effectiveness. If I ever get my own Blog, I'll rate players in the BIG on the GBTP scale. For example, "Illinois only has 2 GBTPs on the roster...well, maybe 2.5". I will miss him next year, and so will Michigan's players & coaches.
Morgan has epitomized the college scholar athlete in his career. He also is a great, positve locker room influence by all accounts. When you hear UM assistants talking about behind the scenes stuff, Morgan's name is alway top of the list as a team leader and role model. This team also is noted as getting along better off the court than any UM hoops team in memory, and Jordan deserves credit for setting the tone. Great kid, great career!
Jordan Morgan has made great contributions to bringing this program to where it is now in his time here, and it is great to see his hard work and effort get rewarded so handsomely in his final year of eligibility with the team. He'll walk away from Crisler with some fantastic memories and he'll walk away from this university with undergraduate and graduate degrees from the School Of Engineering. Not a bad haul at all.
Thanks for everything, Jordan.
Thanks for the OP Cliff Notes. Busy day at work!
Mayne not invididually, but he might have the most accomplished resume of any Michigan Basketball player. He has 98 career wins (and counting...vs. 39 losses). 6-2 vs. MSU. 2 B10 Championships. 1 Final Four/Runner-Up. 1 B10 All-Defensive Team (and counting...maybe even a DPOY). Plus whatever we accomplish this postseason. Is there a player that has a more well-rounded resume?
I'm a huge fan, and I'll continue to heap praise on our Senior: JMo is tough and hard-working. He improves every year (and game it seems like). He's productive. He's a leader, who knows his role and plays it well. And he's a scholar and a flat out winner. I'm jealous of kids these days. That's the type of player/person you want to emulate. To put things in perspective, my UMHoops role model was Avery Queen (and Blanchard...but I was a point guard).
What I enjoy about Morgan is that melancholy face look, the same one Greg Oden and Delano Hill have.... it just cracks me up.... Morgan has been a great Wolverine.
Could've created discord in the locker room, when McGary took his minutes, but he didn't. Instead he continued to be a team player and became a Captain this year.
OT but how is the played Chive "Keep Calm" meme so novel/cool/fantastic that you thought to make it your avatar?
Who is the Tebow doppleganger you have as your avatar?
Going to be weird without him around. I think he's definitely this year's he's-not-gone-yet? guy in the B1G. And a special player for sure. If anyone represents "The Team, The Team, The Team" among U-M hoopsters, it's him.
I think that award has got to go to Craft. Morgan would definitely be a close second though.
what Jordan Morgan's hands are to adhesion. Heart and brains make them effective.
Mr. Morgan.
Let's keep in mind how well this team has played with so many freshmen and sophomores on the court. I'm sure behind-the-scenes mentoring from JMo has helped our young guys mature faster than they otherwise would have.
Hail! to the Leaders and Best, with a capital M.
About the only things we haven't managed in the last three years is a national championship and a senior day win. Really hope we can get him the latter Saturday.
Morgan has played well on the floor, but his actions and choices off the floor, when no one is looking, are a huge part of what defines him. I think most of us hate the "Michigan Man" meme. Having said that, Morgan is virtually the archtype of what you could call a "Michigan Man." He is the valuable glue, huge contributions, humble player, hard worker, definitely a "Novak" kind of guy that you can't survive without. Morgan is exactly the kind of player that Kentucky has none of, to their detriment.
we still have Horford and Spike around next season, and I hope that Bielfeldt will see his contribution on the court as well.
One thing I love about Morgan is he's among the all-time leaders in "white athlete adjectives used to describe a black player."
He's very gritty, smart, hustly, unathletic but makes up for it with effort, etc.