That ‘70s Showman

A lot about Adam Morrison is old school and can be both endearing and disconcerting. The Gonzaga sophomore wears his shoulder-length hair in a floppy ‘do and isn’t about to cut it anytime soon.

His red-and-white striped tube socks really scream ‘70s. All he needs is the hip-hugging shorts that were worn by the school’s most famous basketball alumnus, John Stockton, and Morrison would look as if he were stuck in a time warp.

“I’ve had these socks for a while,” he said. “I found these at a mall and I had to get them. They went with my uniform when I was playing with [the] Team USA [youth team last summer], and they were also the colors of our Gonzaga uniform.”

His coach, Mark Few, isn’t a big fan of the look.

“Between his hair, his socks, the lack of personal hygiene,” Few said with a laugh. “It’s him.”

Morrison’s game, though, is vintage, and Gonzaga (25-4) is in peak form heading into its NCAA tournament opener Thursday against Winthrop (27-5) at Tucson. And although his popular teammate Ronny Turiaf earns most of the headlines, it is the blossoming play of Morrison that may trigger a lengthy run.

A week ago in Santa Clara, the high-scoring forward made the West Coast Conference tournament his showcase. In dominating victories over San Diego and St. Mary’s, he scored 55 points and was voted most valuable player of the tournament. In the final against St. Mary’s, Morrison had a career-high 30 points to give the Bulldogs the league’s automatic NCAA berth.

“He’s the best one that’s come out of there, and they’ve had some good ones,” St. Mary’s Coach Randy Bennett said. “They’ve changed who they’re playing off. Turiaf was the No. 1 option, but he’s not that anymore.”

At 6 feet 8, Morrison patterns his game after Larry Bird’s. His picture-perfect shooting stroke and his ability to create scoring opportunities for teammates invite comparisons.

He also has enough athletic ability to take an opponent off the dribble and create his own shot, but is willing to make the cuts away from ball to get in prime scoring position. The marriage of qualities old and new has resulted in an 18.5-point scoring average, best on the team.

“Growing up, I used to tape [Bird’s] games and study how he did all the little things,” Morrison said. “But I think I’m a little more athletic than people think.”

The son of a former Montana junior college coach, basketball is in his blood and Gonzaga is in his heart. After moving to Spokane, Wash., a decade ago, Morrison found his way into the program as a Bulldog ball boy.

He became a local high school star, setting single-season and career scoring records at Mead High in the city’s top league -- all after he was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 13.

Morrison wears an insulin pump, except on game days, when he injects insulin. During games, his blood sugar is monitored to make sure it remains level.

“There are times when I get a little tired in a game and I have to catch myself,” he said. “But it’s a lot better than last year. It’s down to where it’s not even an issue anymore.”

Always a scorer, Morrison has been rounding out his game under Few, who is constantly challenging him to improve. Early in the season, the coach said, “We wanted to get much more in terms of rebounding the ball, getting after it at the defensive end and even passing the basketball. He’s been much better at moving away from the ball and has become a more efficient player.”

As NBA scouts and general managers watched the Bulldogs to evaluate Turiaf, who some draft experts expect to be a mid-to-late first-round pick, Morrison has taken his game to a level that is warranting a look in his direction.

He has said he won’t declare for the NBA draft this year and isn’t thinking much about it, although some projections have him as a possible pick if he were to leave. Few said he would talk with Morrison, as he has with Turiaf and such former stars as Blake Stepp and Dan Dickau, before the June draft.

“I definitely have to take a look at it,” Morrison said of the NBA. “It’s something that I aspire to. But I think I still have a lot of things to work on. Until it comes out of the horse’s mouth, it’s all hearsay to me.”

Said Few: “When we sit down, we want to make sure the real facts are out on the table.”

The trait that Few and teammates admire most about Morrison is his desire to compete. He isn’t afraid to lead the cheers after a big rally or get in the face of an opposing player.

That competitiveness extends outside the court, where he is willing to take on anyone in any subject, teammates, coaches and friends included.

“Oh, he loves a great debate,” Few said. “He’ll argue U.S. policy, foreign policy. I think he just likes debating just for the sake of debating.”

A different breed, indeed. Right down to his haircut.

“I’m going to keep it long and let it grow through the summer,” Morrison said. “At least until my dad gets fed up with it. The last time I got it cut, I ended up looking like I was 12.

“It’s just a different look, that’s all. It’s coming back.”