As Tennessee basketball's offseason begins, new players and assistant coaches are arriving to campus.
Now in Knoxville, former Cal and Florida State assistant Amorrow Morgan met with the media for the first time on Wednesday.
Here's what he said.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
On why he took the Tennessee job after recently accepting the Florida State job
Yeah, that was obviously the quickest move that I've had in my entire career. But when a Hall of Famer calls you, smart man just ups and goes, you know, especially with me being from the state of Tennessee and just following the program my entire life. But then also, the job that he's done, Coach Barnes, since he's been here, I just looked at it as an opportunity of a lifetime and it's something that I couldn't turn down and had to pack my stuff up and get out of there.
On what it means to coach in his home state
It means a lot. I've been following Rocky Top Nation. Obviously, when I was coming up, you know, national championship in football and then just seeing Coach Peterson, and Coach Pearl, and all those guys as I was growing up, and some of my former teammates as I grew up, and Bobby Maze and J.P. Prince and following their success here. And just seeing the support just from this community in Knoxville, just my entire life and just having an opportunity to come here and just be able to help where they need. This is a dream come true for me. Big time Tennessee guy, always been a Tennessee fan. I know that's kind of like weird to say coming from where I'm coming from, but, man, just super excited to be rocking this orange and excited to continue to keep moving the program in the right direction.
On his first impression of the roster
Obviously, we hadn't been here very long and just seeing some of the guys, you know, get in the gym and sitting in our first team meeting, I was really impressed just with the leadership from the continuity that we do have, the returners to some of the things that they said about their time here. And some of those guys that played elsewhere, and just, you could just see the love that they have for this place and the love that they have for the staff. Just hearing them talk about what we need to do in order for us to accomplish what we want to accomplish, which is making a final four run, winning the national championship. So just, for one, hearing their mentalities, I've been very, very impressed with. But then also just their work ethic. Like every time I walk in here at Pratt, someone's in the gym and it's a different guy. They're all hungry. They all know that, you know, what the guys, the foundation that was laid before them and they know it's a hard act to follow. So, they're coming in with the right mindsets ready to go. I've been really, really impressed with their work ethic and I've also been impressed with their mentalities.
On what it's been like to work with Rick Barnes
Oh, it's been incredible. Obviously, he's hilarious, he's a loving dude, a demanding dude. Obviously, he's one of the greatest of all time. There's not many guys that are still remaining in our profession that's done what he's done. So, I'm excited to just, you know, I'm all eyes and ears to learn and be a sponge and do exactly what he needs in order for us to do what he hopes and envisions this program to do, to make the community of Knoxville proud.
On if it was easier to leave FSU with the head coach's blessing
Yeah, absolutely. Coach Luke Loucks, he's a pro, like he's been in the NBA for a long time and he is going home, right, to Florida State. He's from Tampa. So, he understood the importance of what it's like going back to your home state, getting closer back to your family. He understood, he was in full support. I think I did a pretty good job for him in the six weeks that I was working for him. We got there, we had two players on depth, we had 11, so if we had four players at the time, he might not have said the same. Him and I still talk. I actually saw him on the road. It's funny 'cause, you know, coach actually saw him at Dick Vitale's deal down in Florida like maybe that weekend after, and Coach Loucks was texting me, he was like, "This guy's just big brothering me" or whatever it may be, you know what I mean? But he really enjoyed, he was just the same as I. He was excited to be able to sit down next to a Hall of Famer and be able to pick his brain just the same.
On how long his relationship with Rick Barnes goes back
I wouldn't say as long as, as others. Back in 2021, I was at South Alabama at the time, I came in and I interviewed here. That's when they hired Rod Clark and I think I just happened to make a lasting impression. He definitely made one on me. And just the culture itself and the guys that were here, getting a chance to talk to them and just see how this thing is ran, just be a part of it for a day. And Coach is the best, man. He drove me around and showed me around the entire area, city, campus and made me feel like I was part of the family even before I was. That made a lasting impression on me. I kept in contact with him and kept in contact with some of the guys on staff over my time at Loyola Chicago and at Cal. And then, when the opportunity presented itself, I just, I think it all made sense.
On what Rick Barnes sold him on to join the staff
I'm gonna be honest, he didn't really have to do much. So, I think his body of work and just what he's done over his time here, the 10 years that he's been here, has just been incredibly remarkable. You know, especially for me, watching and witnessing the, you know, the ebbs and flows, the ups and downs of the program just over my lifetime. Just the consistency that he's been able to have here, just right away. Like, for me, it was no selling. I had already had a conversation with the wife. My wife already knew that if a opportunity like this at the University of Tennessee ever presented itself, no matter if I'm there for 10 days, that we probably gotta up and leave. So, I'm super excited to be here and excited to learn from him. Obviously, he's the absolute best.
On getting out of his lease at FSU
I was a little stressed about that. I was, because I did sign a lease when I was there, but they let me out pretty quickly. They understood, just because it was a relocation deal. I was on, you know, websites, Chat GPT, just looking at all these different things. Just worried about, like, being able to break your lease in Florida. And the people ended up being understanding and I got out of there and you know what I mean, I don't need... I didn't lose too much money.
On Tennessee not losing a scholarship player to the portal
I think that's absolutely incredible. I just think that speaks volumes to just obviously coach himself, just how much he loves on the players, how much he's around the players. I got a chance to see that up close and personal before I came here just how tight-knit of a group this is. And then on top of that, just the staff itself, getting to know them, being out on the road with Coach Polinsky and his background and getting to know Coach Gainey both of those guys, so much head coaching experience and potential head coaching experience on this staff to be able to learn from those guys. So, just knowing how they do things on a day-to-day, it all makes sense that no one should ever want to leave this place. You have everything from the resources you have every, you have the financial backing, you have arguably I would say just from sitting in one all staff meeting, the best AD in the country. Obviously, the city of Knoxville is beautiful. It makes sense why no one would want to leave this place. So I'm not surprised at all.
On any prior relationships with players
Just the transfer portal. Just, you know, guys hop in, man. That's just the nature of the beast right now. Banging out the texts and just reaching out. I reached out to several of them actually over my time. Some of them when I was at South Alabama. Some of these guys have been in school five, six years now. But I actually recruited Ja'Kobi Gillespie really, really hard when I was at Loyola Chicago. He ended up at Belmont and ended up being a phenomenal player. So it's all come back full circle. It's pretty cool that when I did get hired he was like, "Yeah, finally Coach." So it was pretty cool messaging with him that I'll be able to actually work with him every day knowing how special of a player he is.
– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.
– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.
– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.
