Three athletes who starred on local hardwoods are hoping to hear their names called during tonight’s Draft.
Prep Charter grad Markieff Morris, above, and his identical twin brother Marcus are expected to join other NBA prospects in the Prudential Center greenroom at the NBA draft on June 23rd.
With the No. 16 selection in the NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select ...
Commissioner David Stern will finish the sentence tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. — site of the 2011 NBA Draft. One of the possible options, should he still be available, is Prep Charter High grad and University of Kansas product Markieff Morris, a 6-foot-10 power forward. Depending on which mock draft board you look at, the forecasts vary as to where the big man will land. Twin brother Marcus Morris, also of Prep Charter, is projected as a lottery selection, with some boards projecting the 6-foot-9 forward going as high as No. 9 to the Charlotte Bobcats.
Luckily, the suspense ends tonight, as Philadelphia’s version of the twin towers has been invited to sit in the greenroom with their families. Once the commissioner calls their name, they’ll be handed the cap of the respective team and be invited to shake hands with Stern on stage.
Markieff returned to the area June 15 for a workout with the 76ers. It was one of 10 he had with potential suitors. But getting a chance to showcase his talents for the hometown team provided Markieff with a little extra motivation.
“It was a good workout,” he said following the session. “I definitely wanted to impress these guys as much as possible.”
He has been separated from his twin brother during the pre-draft process, and come next season, they’ll be playing on separate teams. It marks a major change after leading Prep Charter, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., to back-to-back state championships and helping Kansas achieve the nation’s No. 1 ranking. As a junior, he averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Marcus led the Jayhawks offense with 17.2 points per contest.
Neumann-Goretti, 1736 S. 10th St., and Syracuse University grad Rick Jackson also visited with the Sixers earlier this month as a potential second-round selection. Some projections have the 6-foot-9 forward landing at No. 44 with the Golden State Warriors. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged a double-double of 13.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during his senior year at Syracuse.
By the time the clock strikes midnight, all three of these athletes will know if they have a future in the NBA.
The NBA Draft can be seen live tonight on ESPN and ESPN3 starting at 7 p.m. SPR
Contact Editor Bill Gelman at bgelman@southphillyreview.com or ext. 121.
Markieff and Marcus Morris do not dabble in delusions. Teammates at Prep Charter High School, 1928 Point Breeze Ave., and the University of Kansas, the twin forwards knew although their love would keep them emotionally inseparable, their professional lives would halt their being geographically so. The ballers began their new existence June 23, becoming the 13th and 14th picks, respectively, in the NBA Draft.
Marcus and Markieff Morris, twin junior forwards for the University of Kansas men’s basketball team, have decided to forgo their senior seasons and enter the 2011 NBA Draft. The twins played their high school ball at the Prep Charter, 1928 Point Breeze Ave. As high school athletes, the siblings helped the Huskies back-to-back Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AA state championships in 2006 and 2007 under coach Dan Brinkley.
Prep Charter grads Marcus and Markieff Morris and their Kansas Jawyhawks have advanced to the Sweet 16 following Friday’s 72-53 win over Boston University and Sunday’s 73-59 second-round victory over Illinois. In the latter outing. Markieff led all scorers with 24 points to go along with 12 rebounds and a block. Marcus contibuted a solid line of his own with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. After the game, the siblings talked about advancing in the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse Orange junior point guard Antonio “Scoop” Jardine and senior power forward Rick Jackson do not deal in ambiguity.
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