A good basketball player usually comes from a combination of good training, coaching and promotion on a basketball platform in which the player can perform and the world takes notice. Temetrius Jamel “Ja” Morant from Dalzell South Carolina was initially trained and coached by his dad Tee Morant who played high level high school and college basketball. Tee Morant also spent time overseas playing professionally.
” Young players and parents can sometimes forget that choosing a program is a deal. ”
With all of the tip and tricks his dad taught him, Ja wasn’t heavily recruited as a player in high school. He chose to attend Murray State, a place that had a track record of finding diamonds in the rough. Morant had a solid freshman season posting a programs second triple double ever. In his sophomore season, Morant completely dominated college basketball averaging 24.5 points a game and 10 assists, leading his team deep in the NCAA tournament.
Ja Morant’s success starts with having the talent and ability followed by the right training and choosing the right school that would give him the platform to perform.
Young players and parents can sometimes forget that choosing a program is a deal. High school and college coaches have done many of these deals and will continue to do many more after they recruit you. Most players are typically involved in one scholarship deal offer. With the transfer portal in today’s college basketball, some players are getting a second deal.It is important to avoid a program that is bigger than the players talent. Players should not go to a school that is bigger than their talent. Also, choosing the right head coach to help the player develop is crucial. High school varsity and college players are usually stuck or will have to pay a heavy price that would include sitting out games if they decide to leave their current program. There needs to be a process that includes failsafes to ensure that a sound decision is made on the program that the player will attend.
Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky get the best high school recruits in the country because of their reputation. Ja Morant could have gone to one of these high major universities but the likelihood of him having the opportunity show and grow his talent would have been low. He also was in a position where he was allowed to make mistakes (especially turnovers) at Murray State. If you look at him now as a NBA player, he’s the star player for the Memphis Grizzlies and a an All-Star with a bright future.
