Did not see this board-TRock

For those not familiar with Terence Morris (TRock which is his nickname to close friends), Terence is the kind of team player that Red Auberbach of the Celtic dynasty years would draft. He has Celtic type player written all over him. As a soph he made 1st Team All-ACC which that in itself says he
has great NBA POTENTIAL. It was that summer that he injured his foot, setting him back
significantly. He had one down year which was last year in which primary targets were Baxter and Juan Dixon. Terence took very few shots compared to those players, but it was his shot blocking, intimidation, passing and rebounding that quietly kept Maryland in the top 10 all year. Since the late 60's I have seen no other better passing big man at Maryland than Terence Morris who incidently
had his best year when playing with Steve Francis. I have known Terence Morris for some time since my son played with him at Thomas Johnson HS. I have seen him quietly mature at Maryland from when he first arrived as a shy quiet person who would be the first to come to a teammate's aid. If Houston is searching for a TEAM player, they will get one very cheap in Terence Morris. In the Final Four, Battier was held to two points before Terence went to the bench with his 3rd foul in the first half, it was then Battier lit up the scoreboard in TRock's absence. As I look back at his four years, there were many big games where he played his best, it was the automatic Wins where he
would virtually pass and shoot little. He is in almost all top 10 Maryland career categories despite his low point production in the automatic wins. This was a trait he had back in high school, large lead meant he would rather pass to a teammate. Against good teams, i.e. Tim Thomas, he came to play, getting MVP over Tim Thomas and playing well in the Capital Classic and Magic Johnson Classic. In sum, Terence Morris has much, much untapped potential. With the right team and coach, he will
flourish. I hope it is Houston, even though I hear reports that Charlotte is considering him at No.16. I read in one post below he bought a Mercedes, well he bought his mother one too which I think is an indication of what teams are telling him. I think that he is getting word from the some of the 10
teams that he is trying out for that his stock is climbing back up. Two years ago he was projected a top 6 pick in NBA circles. I am rooting for Houston to pick Terence Morris, it would be a cheap pick for what they receive. FREDTERP


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For Gettingbranded: I would not put too much stock in what some sportswriter read from another writer. It is just like two other writers who picked Mike Mardesich ahead of Terence Morris in the draft. Mardesich never appeared and won't surface on the horizon. You mentioned a dismal junior year, according to Rocket scouting director Dennis Linsey, Terence had a good junior year after Steve Francis left Maryland, arguably better than his sophomore year. He's 6-9, blocks shots, rebounds, step out on the floor. I would say he would be a Clifford Robinson-type player in our system." Andy Katz has been the ringleader in a anti-Morris campaign. He was the character who termed the Morris factor and desperately wrote continuous articles to help coin his phrase and term. I think Houston knows fair well what they are doing compared to some sportswriter half way across the country who may have seen Terence maybe ONCE, but claims to be an expert on Terence. The Rockets (Wash Post) said F MO Taylor and swingman S. Anderson will not exercise their options to extend their contracts with Houston. Houston will not exercise its option to keep Carlos Rogers. I think it is evident that Houston intends to give Terence and Griffin plenty of PT by trading 3 players and giving up next years' #1 draft choice. Houston has
been monitoring Terence Morris since he was a soph and has wanted him ever since. I will trust Houston's confidence in judging attitudes and talent over any sportswriter anyday. FREDTERP


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[This message has been edited by Fredterp (edited July 05, 2001).]