On the Net (video):
Kyle Morris is ready to "accept the challenge":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrZS_hBxcIs
Booneville, Miss. - Kyle Morris is enthusiastic about reunifying with a longtime companion and joining one of the most tradition-rich men's basketball programs in the Magnolia State.
Morris, who brings an intense and dynamic attitude to the court, has been selected as the new assistant coach for Northeast Mississippi Community College beginning with the upcoming 2014-15 campaign.
"It's a big hire in a lot of different areas," said Tigers headman Cord Wright. "First and foremost from the recruiting side of it, he's really good. He's active, stays on it and that's one of the biggest things in recruiting is just being consistent and working at it. That's one area that he's going to bring a lot of help to with the state being opened up.
"Secondly, he does a really good job with individual workouts and making the players better. Recruiting them is huge, but making them better while they're here is the next step. I'm very excited and I think that within a year or so once we get this thing rocking and rolling that everybody will see the excitement that I feel now."
Morris enters his eighth season in the coaching profession at Northeast following successful stops at his collegiate alma mater, the University of Pikeville (Ky.), and the University of North Alabama.
"I'm very honored and humbled," Morris said. "I've known coach Wright for the past six years. He helped me get in the business and kind of jump-start my career. I wanted to come over here, accept the challenge and I'm looking forward to getting going.
"My main duties are just making the players that we have here better by making sure they stay in the classroom and making sure they graduate. Also, recruiting is going to be huge, especially the next two years, and making sure we sign the right student-athletes."
Morris landed his first position as an assistant coach at Pikeville during the 2007-08 season. He guided the Bears to a solid 22-9 record and fourth-place finish in the Mid-South Conference.
Pikeville compiled an impressive 14-game winning streak that spanned three months. The Bears defeated their opponents in that stretch by an average score of 77-53.
Under the tutelage of Morris, Jeff Ferguson was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Honorable Mention All-American while William Harris, Justin Hicks and Morris each earned all-conference honors.
After an outstanding campaign at Pikeville, Morris travelled further south and accepted a post at North Alabama. He served as an assistant coach for the next six years and aided in the Lions' return to countrywide prominence.
Morris and Wright worked together in Florence, Ala., from 2008-10. The duo pushed the Lions to a pair of Gulf South Conference (GSC) Tournament appearances at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven and also instructed Kenny Johnson, who is one of only four men's basketball players in North Alabama history to receive All-American status.
The 2010-11 edition of the Lions tallied a 13-16 mark, but still had two athletes in Ricky Davison and Marcus Landry tabbed to the All-Gulf South Team with Wes Long obtaining GSC East Division Freshman of the Year recognition.
North Alabama improved to 15-12 one season later with sweeps of league rivals Delta State University, Valdosta State (Ga.) University and the University of West Georgia. Beaumont Beasley and Theron Jenkins, which both averaged 16 points per outing, grabbed All-Gulf South Team prestige for their actions during that campaign.
Morris, whose hometown is Dayton, Ohio, left his imprint on North Alabama's history books by guiding the Lions to back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Tournaments in his final two years on the sidelines inside Flowers Hall.
Following an eight-game winning streak to open the season, North Alabama drew an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament with a 19-9 record and 12-6 mark versus conference foes. The Lions were eliminated in the opening round by NCAA South Regional host Florida Southern College.
North Alabama eclipsed the 20-win plateau during the 2013-14 campaign with victories in nine of their final 10 league contests. The Lions used that momentum near the end of the year to capture the sixth Gulf South Tournament championship in program history.
Rashaun Claiborne nearly notched a double-double with 28 points and eight rebounds in North Alabama's title matchup against Christian Brothers (Tenn.) University. Claiborne was designated as the Most Valuable Player of the event while teammate Bruce Adams garnered Gulf South All-Tournament Team accolades.
The Lions, with Morris on the bench, entered the NCAA South Regional in Lakeland, Fla., as the No. 4 seed. North Alabama outscored the University of Tampa (Fla.) 47-37 in the second half to claim a close triumph and advance past the first round for the initial time since 2008.
Former Northeast guard Tyler Pritchard started and Adams dropped in a team-high 21 points, but the Lions could not overcome Tuskegee (Ala.) University in their second round game and were eliminated from the tournament.
After the conclusion of the season, Claiborne was chosen to participate in the 2014 Reese's NCAA Division II All-Star Game in Evansville, Ind. at the Ford Center. He is one of only four players ever from North Alabama to compete in this event.
Overall, North Alabama amassed a record of 101-70, or a winning percentage of 69, during Morris' tenure at that institution. His primary responsibilities with the Lions included developing exercise routines, individual skill development, recruiting and to monitor the academic progress of their student-athletes.
Morris lettered at Pikeville for three years and was named an Academic All-Mid-South Conference selection. Before his collegiate career began, he won three Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Ohio state championships for Dayton Salvation Army.
In his spare time, Morris works a variety of basketball camps across the nation, including at the University of Dayton (Ohio), the University of Tennessee, Wright State (Ohio) University and Capital (Ohio) University.
Morris' background in community service is extensive. He organized a Red Cross blood drive while at North Alabama, volunteered at both the Salvation Army and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and spoken to junior high school students during Red Ribbon Week about the dangers involved with drugs and alcohol.
A graduate of Springboro (Ohio) High School, Morris holds a Bachelor's degree from Pikeville and a Master's degree from North Alabama.