DALLAS – Kimball (Dallas) combo guard Arterio Morris won’t go as far as saying he was more excited to be playing against another elite player in Christian Brothers College (St. Louis, Missouri) point guard Caleb Love, a North Carolina signee who is ranked No. 25 overall in USA Today Sports’ Chosen 25, but he was clear that Love was in the opposing jersey.
HOOPFEST: Bryce Thompson thrives after committing to Kansas
“I just go in to every game trying to dominate,” said Morris, a sophomore. “Doesn’t matter who it is, but I do like playing against guys like that. I just like to compete.”
Morris parlayed that mindset into a dominant performance, scoring 27 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking four shots to lead the Knights past the Cadets 75-67 on Friday at the Thanksgiving Hoopfest.
“I just have the mentality this year to kill on the court,” Morris said. “In everything I do, on each side of the court it’s kill, kill, kill. That’s it.”
This summer, Morris averaged 12 points, five rebounds and six assists for Showtime (Texas) and picked up offers from Texas Tech and Texas-Arlington, but with three years left in high school, naturally, Morris said he’s more focused on improvement.
HOOPFEST: Nimiari Burnett’s halfcourt shot goes viral
“I want the offers, of course, but I have to focus on my game,” Morris said. “I know that’s the thing that takes care of everything else. I want to get more offers and get noticed more so the way to do that is to produce on the court. I put all of my energy into that.”
Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY
