Monte Morris receives high honor from Iowa State
June 15, 2017
Monte Morris has received a plethora of awards and trophies throughout his college career, but Morris added another award to his trophy case Thursday.
Today, Morris was named as the 2016-17 male athlete of the year by the Iowa State Athletic Department.
The Flint, Michigan native shined in his senior season. Morris averaged a career-high 16.4 points per game along with 6.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds.
Morris had multiple clutch performances last season in important games. Morris amassed 25 points and seven assists as the Cyclones snapped Kansas’ 51-game win streak at home. He provided the pass for Donovan Jackson to nail an important 3-pointer, leading to the win.
Morris scored 30 points, setting his career high, in an important win over Oklahoma State. Morris also recorded the fifth triple-double in Iowa State history this season.
Morris played a big part in Iowa State’s Big 12 Tournament run. He was named the Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, averaging 17.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 6.3 rebounds.
Morris had a strong senior season, but he’s also had a strong career. Morris has the most assists (768), steals (225), and games played (140) in school history, which includes his record 121 consecutive games started. Morris is also the winningest player in Iowa State history.
Morris didn’t just etch his name in the Iowa State record book, but also the NCAA’s.
Morris has a reputation of distributing the ball, and he continued the trend this season. The savvy ball handler broke the NCAA single season assist-to-turnover ratio (5.17) along with the career record (4.65).
Morris has received national attention as well. CBSSports.com gave the point guard All-American Second-Team honors.
Now that Morris’ collegiate career is finished, he’s pursuing an opportunity in the NBA. The 6-foot-3 point guard has worked out with multiple teams.
The NBA draft begins on June 22. Many draft experts have projected Morris to be picked in the second round.