McMorrow article in Toronto Sun

[Sir Lawrence]

Growth spurt alters plans
Scarborough 7-footer earns hoops scholarship

By RYAN WOLSTAT, SUN MEDIA   

If size 16 skates were more plentiful, 7-foot Liam McMorrow would probably still be on the ice.

Instead, McMorrow, who had never even played an officiated, five-on-five basketball game a year ago, is packing his bags, preparing to leave his Scarborough home for Milwaukee, where he has landed a full basketball scholarship to Marquette University.

Most people are done growing by the time they are 18 or 19, but nobody told that to McMorrow. The 21-year-old McMorrow went from 6-foot-8 two years ago to his current size.

Now McMorrow, who only shot baskets the rare times he wasn't playing lacrosse, ice or ball hockey, has dreams of playing professionally and for team Canada. Who does he think he is, Mike Smrek?

Smrek was the Welland native and hockey enthusiast who didn't care much for hoops, but went on to an NBA and international career after sprouting to 7 feet in high school.

McMorrow enrolled at Durham College last fall partly so people would stop bugging him about wasting his size.

McMorrow's life really started to change when he began receiving calls from coaches in the Deep South with accents he could "barely understand." Gradually, the school names became more recognizable, the accents more intelligible.

McMorrow really lucked out because Marquette coach Buzz Williams happened to have a former player living in Scarborough available to check him out.

After earning positive reviews, McMorrow, who averaged 8.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while ranking third in the OCAA in blocked shots, was given Marquette's final scholarship and after red shirting this season due to NCAA transfer rules, will suit up for the Golden Eagles in 2009, along with highly touted Toronto native Junior Cadougan.

"It's insane," McMorrow says of the events of the past year. "Every time I talk about it, it seems more and more unreal. One of the last things my coach (Desmond Rowley) at Durham said was, 'nobody has made the jump (from the OCAA) to the NCAA.'

"I guess I've done the impossible."

McMorrow comes from a hockey and lacrosse-crazed family and "didn't know any hoops terms or want to play basketball. "It was hockey my whole life, just like my brothers, McMorrow said.

McMorrow's eldest brother and role model, 6-foot-4 Sean, is one of the most feared enforcers in professional hockey.

The former Rochester American, who will try out for the Edmonton Oilers this fall, racked up an incredible 527 minutes in penalties in the rough and tumble Quebec professional league this past season.

Younger brother Patrick is considered one of the best ball hockey players in the GTA.

McMorrow said his hockey and lacrosse background help him on the court because he is more mobile and quicker than most 7-footers.

Having a brother to lean on that's gone through much of what he can expect going forward doesn't hurt either. "It's comforting," McMorrow said.

"(At Marquette last month) we went through a really tough workout. They were screaming at us and we thought we were going to die.

"I called up Sean because I thought they were just testing us. He said: 'Ya, for sure, don't worry about it.' "

link:  http://torontosun.com/Sports/Basketball/2008/08/19/6497776-sun.html

[Murffieus]

Sounds like George Mikan before Ray Meyer got a hold of him-----we'll see if this staff knows how to develop a big by watching Otule and McMorrow's development!

[ecompt]

Murff, how much can be done to develop big men? Did Stanford "develop" the Lopez twins? Did Houston "develop" Olajuwon? Did Florida "develop" Noah? Maybe MU did as much as it could with Ooze, who had a pretty good college career. Maybe it did as much as it could with Merritt and Kinsella and Grimm. I don't know, I'm just asking.

[RawdogDX]

Murff, how much can be done to develop big men? Did Stanford "develop" the Lopez twins? Did Houston "develop" Olajuwon? Did Florida "develop" Noah? Maybe MU did as much as it could with Ooze, who had a pretty good college career. Maybe it did as much as it could with Merritt and Kinsella and Grimm. I don't know, I'm just asking.

Are you responding to a positive recruiting post by murf (as positive as he gets) by baiting him into hijacking a thread? 
...

Back to Liam as with these shot in the dark projects chances of him being a high level contributer are low but it seems like all the peices are there and as far as stats go you couldn't ask for much better considering he had never played before

[ecompt]

rawdog, I'm not trying to hijack anything. I just don't know how much coaching really is involved with big guys. I think it's all about size.

[RawdogDX]

oh, well no.
Because of the growth pattern of a typical 6'10+ player and the fact that because there are fewer of them (which increases their value disproportionately to how athletic they are) they are still trying to catch up to the footwork of their shorter counterparts.  But they call them post moves because they are 'moves' that can be taught and improved upon.

[77fan88warrior]

'Ya, for sure, don't worry about it.' "



link:  http://torontosun.com/Sports/Basketball/2008/08/19/6497776-sun.html

I love his brother's quote above. It makes me think of old-time hockey. The Eddie Shore kinda hockey.

[MUSF]

Are you responding to a positive recruiting post by murf (as positive as he gets) by baiting him into hijacking a thread? 
...

Back to Liam as with these shot in the dark projects chances of him being a high level contributer are low but it seems like all the peices are there and as far as stats go you couldn't ask for much better considering he had never played before

I think you missed the back handed intent behind Murfs post.  See, this is one of his favorite games.  He takes a rough around the edges recruit, makes a ridiculous comparison to a bball legend, then gets to snipe when/if the kid doesn't live up to Murf's own hype.

A few years ago Murf was telling us how great Dwight Burke's post moves were.  Therefore, MU has completely failed because Burke has actually regressed from Murf's initial assessment. 

I would love to give Murf the benefit of the doubt here but my experience with him has made me synical.

[MUinCO]

I'd like to see Buzz recruit the McMorrow kid with 527 minutes in hockey penalties.   

[RawdogDX]

I think you missed the back handed intent behind Murfs post.  See, this is one of his favorite games.  He takes a rough around the edges recruit, makes a ridiculous comparison to a bball legend, then gets to snipe when/if the kid doesn't live up to Murf's own hype.

A few years ago Murf was telling us how great Dwight Burke's post moves were.  Therefore, MU has completely failed because Burke has actually regressed from Murf's initial assessment. 

I would love to give Murf the benefit of the doubt here but my experience with him has made me synical.

  Serioiusly, 'one of his favorite games'.   
Murf's fav games:
Basketball,
Horseshoes
takes a rough around the edges recruit, makes a ridiculous comparison to a bball legend, then gets to snipe when/if the kid doesn't live up to Murf's own hype.
Bridge
Shuffle board.

So he's not allowed to say anything bad and if he posts something good than you think he's plotting some slam against the coaching staff 3 years into the future?  Man murf you have it rough.

[Skatastrophy]

So he's not allowed to say anything bad and if he posts something good than you think he's plotting some slam against the coaching staff 3 years into the future?  Man murf you have it rough.

That's not only rough, that's incredibly calculating.  There's not many trolls that plan 3 years in advance

[MUSF]

Just calling it how I see it, and how I have seen it for the past few years.

The sad thing is that Murf is a smart guy with a lot of bball knowledge.  He just always seems to go the extra mile to find fault with MU, even if he has to create it himself.

[bilsu]

McMorrow is big and mobile. Assuming he is willing to put in the work, I would be very surprised if he does not develop into a solid player.

[mwbauer7]

I love his brother's quote above. It makes me think of old-time hockey. The Eddie Shore kinda hockey.

"Old Time Hockey, coach? Eddie Shore?"

[AZWarrior]

"Old Time Hockey, coach? Eddie Shore?"

"Buy you a soda after the game?"

[nola03]

McMorrow is big and mobile. Assuming he is willing to put in the work, I would be very surprised if he does not develop into a solid player.

Have you been checking him out during the summer scrimmages? Also, what would be your idea of a "solid" player?