Wiley on the Court : Cal State Long Beach Guard, His Suspension Lifted by a New Coach, Leads Team in Scoring and Has Won the Praise of Several Pro Scouts

Cal State Long Beach needed a basket, so Morlon Wiley raced down the San Jose Civic Auditorium court. He faked right and left to get free, then from just above the foul line shot a perfect jump shot that was as soft as a mother’s kiss.

That was last Saturday night, and an impressed witness was Jerry West, who once had specialized in scoring needed baskets in a similar fashion.

“He plays real easily,” West said of Wiley.

The Laker general manager was at the game primarily to scout a more-publicized guard, San Jose State’s Ricky Berry. Wiley, though, outscored Berry, 33-28.

And late in the second half, with the fans booing Wiley unceasingly because they believed he had instigated a punching incident, he stole the ball from Berry and went in, not for his usual textbook layup, but for a dunk that momentarily quieted his tormentors.

Then with two seconds to play, after he told 49er Coach Joe Harrington, “I’ll make it,” he made a three-point shot that tied the game and briefly staved off an 80-79 loss.

“I’ve been involved in 330 games as a coach, and (Wiley) played as complete a game for a guard as I’ve seen,” 49er assistant coach Seth Greenberg said afterward.

Wiley, a 6-foot 4-inch, 185-pound senior, has performed well all season for Long Beach (8-6) but wouldn’t even be playing if Ron Palmer still were the 49er coach. Palmer’s suspension of Wiley for arguing with an assistant coach late last season was lifted by Harrington when he arrived in April. Wiley has since developed into a confident, all-around player and a professional prospect.

“I can’t envision him not playing in the NBA,” West said.

“He’s very, very good,” said Marty Blake, director of scouting for the National Basketball Assn. “We’re well aware of him.”

“He’s probably as good as any guard in the country and is just coming into his own,” said Don Mead, who runs an Irvine-based scouting service.

Wiley, though, is unsure about his NBA chances. “I have a long way to go,” he said. “I’m not on any All-American lists. Very few people know about me.”

Wiley had showed little in the way of greatness in his first three seasons when he averaged 10 points a game, but this season he is averaging 21.8, to lead the team, as well as 4.3 assists, 3 steals and 4 rebounds. He has averaged better than 25 points in his last seven games.

“He has been just a pleasure to coach,” said Greenberg, who had heard that Wiley was self-centered and difficult to coach. “He’s an excellent leader. He puts the team before himself.”

As an example, Greenberg uses a 93-86 loss to Ohio State in December, in which Wiley fouled out with three minutes to play after scoring 30 points.

“Those last three minutes he’s hollering to the guys on the floor, ‘You got to believe! You got to believe!’ ” Greenberg said. “(Harrington and I) sat on the bench and looked at each other and we knew we had something special. Most kids would be selfish at that point of the game.”

Wiley was preceded at Long Beach by his brother Michael, the 49ers’ all-time scoring leader. When Morlon was in grade school, he went with Michael to the Long Beach Arena hours before 49er games to shoot baskets.

“He didn’t force me to go,” Wiley recalled. “I’d just hop in the car and tag along.”

Wiley played at Poly High School, about six blocks from his home in Long Beach’s inner city. In his senior year in 1984, Poly, coached by Palmer, won the state championship.

Palmer then was hired to coach Cal State Long Beach. He brought Wiley.

“I can still recall the first day of practice as a freshman, how excited I was being able to play college basketball,” Wiley said.

He started 22 games and averaged 5.8 points that season. The team went 4-23.

“It was a humbling experience,” said Wiley, who had lost only about 20 games from the eighth grade through high school. “Dealing with it was very hard.”

The 49ers improved only to 7-22 in Wiley’s sophomore season but he had one unforgettable night, scoring 37 points against Utah State.

Last season, the 49ers lost their last eight games and finished at 12-19. In the midst of that streak, Wiley had a shouting match with Bruce Buhrandt, then an assistant coach, in the dressing room after a game at UC Santa Barbara. Wiley said he was upset with the coaching and with the lack of team unity.

Palmer suspended Wiley for the remaining two games of the season--and the ‘87-’88 season.

“I was very worried,” Wiley said.

But less than a week later, Palmer resigned. When Harrington was hired, he reinstated Wiley. “I felt he deserved a chance to make an impression on me,” Harrington said.

Wiley has made an impression beyond his athletic abilities and reading defenses.

“He’s very mature,” Harrington said. “He listens and he wants to get better.”

Reflecting on the incident that almost cost him his scholarship, Wiley said, “I meant what I said, but I could have been more professional instead of going off on impulse. But I had held three years’ of frustration in me and it was time to get it out. I was getting to the point where I was accepting losing, and I’m not a loser.”

A coaching change, Wiley said, was what he had needed.

“You can only go so far with one person,” he said. “Coach Palmer taught me a great deal about basketball. Coach Harrington opened up my game and gave me a lot of confidence in myself and in a team concept. He taught me things I didn’t know, like how to use screens.”

Wiley has made his most dramatic improvement in shooting. He shot 39% from the field last season and is shooting 56% this year, 42% from three-point range. He credits confidence and Harrington’s emphasis on shooting drills.

“We’ve worked hard on having him pull up and shoot off the dribble,” Harrington said. “Last year he got a lot of charging fouls because he tended to drift into opponents.”

He is no gunner. In a 105-70 victory over University of the Pacific Thursday night, Wiley, who was busy passing for 11 assists, took only nine shots, making six.

Wiley is animated and outgoing on the court. He freely advises his teammates and talks to opposing players and referees.

“Bingo,” he says when a teammate shoots after taking his pass.

“Oh, yeah,” he said while making an interception with his left hand earlier in the season.

But away from basketball he is, for the most part, a quiet person who has been influenced greatly by his mother, Geraldine Wiley.

“My mom has kept me humble,” he said. “I read the Bible every day and say my prayers.”

Wiley said his feelings toward Palmer have improved. “I wrote him a letter, thanking him for the years he gave me and giving me the opportunity to play college basketball.”

Wiley’s character was also in evidence last Saturday night. After putting his team on the brink of victory, he had to stand by helplessly with no time left as San Jose State’s Gerald Thomas made the winning free throw.

The crowd started to go wild, but few in it probably noticed Wiley, who had turned to shake the hand of San Jose Coach Bill Berry before walking off the court.