Louisville basketball: 5 under the radar transfers for Cards

Joshua Morgan – C

Long Beach State, Freshman (6’11, 195-pounds)

2019 stats: 8.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.5 bpg 

If Chris Mack gave Strength & Conditioning coach Andy Kettler his pick of one player per year to take into the program and develop, my guess is a guy like Joshua Morgan would be at the top of his list.

What coach doesn’t want to take a player or athlete who has all the potential in the world but needs help adding weight/muscle to do that? Exactly, none. Morgan showed in his one and only season at Long Beach State that he has every bit of potential to develop into an elite difference-maker as a defender and an effective scorer for a high-major program.

Coming out of high school Morgan stood at 6’11 and just 190-pounds (that’s 10 pounds lighter than me and I’m 5’10), but had a frame more than capable of packing on muscle. His development was expected to be more long-term, but right away Morgan showed his true potential.

LBSU played in seven games during non-conference play against teams from power leagues in which Morgan more than proved he belonged. In his season debut against UCLA, he scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked three shots and in a huge upset over Providence Morgan pitched in 12 points, nine boards, and three blocks.

His offensive game, while raw, showed major potential but it was on the defensive end of the floor where Morgan really shined as an elite shot blocker. The 6’11 freshman dominated opposing offenses with his rim protection, developing into one of the best in the country – finishing 19th overall with 2.5 blocks per game, blocking a total of 80 shots on the year.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello rated Morgan as his 9th best “sit-out” transfer available, writing about the 6’10 big man:

"“The Defensive Player of the Year in the Big West, Morgan is a high-ceiling big man who could be poised for a breakout campaign. He averaged 8.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.”"

So far a ton of schools have expressed interest in Morgan but there hasn’t been much movement. That’s where a school like Louisville comes in.

Morgan proved in one year he is more than capable of being a five-man for an elite level program. Well as you’d have it, when Morgan would be eligible (2021-22) Louisville will no longer have the services of Malik Williams, leaving Aidan Igiehon and JJ Traynor as the only bigs on the roster. That leaves a glaring hole in the rotation for Chris Mack.

In his first two seasons, Morgan could play in a backup/starter role to Igiehon splitting the minutes as Steven Enoch and Williams have done for the last two seasons. In his final season, Morgan would then move into the starting role full-time, more prepared than ever to lead a power five program.

Adding a big man to the roster is paramount for Chris Mack, especially considering his 4-in-1-out system that revolves around having a scoring oriented big man. Adding Morgan would not only give Mack a player who is capable of becoming an elite rebounder as well as a scorer around the rim but also would give him his first true rim protector.

Mack’s teams have always been built around big, athletic, high-motored players and that’s exactly what he would get should Joshua Morgan become a target and ultimately commit to playing for Louisville.