Illinois Basketball: The Present and Future at the Center Position

Maverick Morgan

The story of Maverick Morgan has been interesting.  He was looked at as an okay backup that needed a lot of work.  That was until last season.

When Thorne went down, with essentially a season-ending injury, Morgan was launched into the starting center role.

Illinois Fighting Illini

At first, it was a pretty rough ride with Morgan.  He couldn’t grab a rebound for his life and his defense wasn’t much better.

The one big plus in the middle of last season was Morgan’s shooting touch.  He has some of the best touch within ten feet of the basket that I have seen in the Big Ten.

Towards the end of last season, Morgan started to get in his grove and was developing nicely.  He started to grasp a better understanding of how to play as a center.

The highlight for Morgan was at the end of the season last year.  He put up 21 points and 10 rebounds against a tough Maryland team.

I fully expect Morgan to continue to progress this season.  He is going to be an important player in the success of the Illini.

Thorne isn’t going to be able to play all the minutes in a game. To have Morgan get better is crucial.

The two main focuses I want Morgan to work on heading into the 2016-17 season is rebounding and defense.  These were two rough areas last season but I think he has improved.

The strength coach has also worked with Morgan this offseason as well.  This is going to help him fight in the paint with the other big boys of the Big Ten.

Morgan getting stronger was an underrated note in the basketball offseason.

Next: Jeremiah Tilmon