By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — It is a dream come true and Watauga High School senior Grant Morrison will soon be living it.
On May 5, in front of friends, family, coaches and faculty members, Morrison signed a commitment letter to play college basketball at Southern Wesleyan University, a private, 4-year school (enrollment: 1,300) in Central, South Carolina. SWU is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association and Conference Carolinas, competing in athletics at the NCAA Division II level. Current members of Conference Carolinas include Barton, Belmont Abbey, Chowan, Converse, Emmanuel, Erskine, Francis Marion, King, Lees-McRae, Mount Olive, UNC Pembroke, North Greenville and Southern Wesleyan.
“A very small percentage of student athletes get to compete in their sport after high school,” said Watauga head men’s basketball coach Bryson Payne. “Not everybody has seen the extra work that Grant has put in to get to this point. It is shooting the ball at every gym he could get into, whether out at Mabel School or Watauga High School, among others. It takes a lot of work that Grant has done, behind the scenes. We do a lot of stuff here, at the high school, with workouts and skill development, but there were many nights when he has worked on his own and with help from his father, rebounding for him.”
Payne recounted Morrison’s senior year stats, which was significant considering the abbreviated time his sophomore year due to COVID-19 and a hand injury his junior year.
- 13.4 average points per game
- 334 total points
- 45.9% effective field goal percent
- 34% from behind the 3-point arc
- A total of 38 3-pointers
- 4.1 average rebounds per game
- 104 total rebounds
- 1.7 average assists per game
- 43 total assists
- Average 1 steal per game
- 25 total steals
- Took 2 charges
Payne stated that rebounding was a particular area of emphasis for Morrison in his senior year.
“We told him that if he wanted to play at the next level he was going to have to get more physical and get on the glass. He made a big jump,” said Payne. “We are building a program here and Grant has had a significant role in that.”
A Northwestern Conference all-conference selection, Payne added that Morrison was co-MVP of the Watauga team in 2022-23.
“We haven’t had a student athlete from Watauga go on to play basketball at the next level for several years,” said Payne. “He is not only a good athlete. He is also a good person.”
Watauga head track and field coach Mike Neff also offered some thoughts on Morrison’s transition to playing basketball at the next level, including some amusing anecdotes.
“I met Grant before he played basketball in high school, when he would play some pickup games with us as a middle school student,” said Neff. “That was when I could look down on Grant, which was a lot more fun… I have had a chance to watch Grant grow as a basketball player, literally, and as a good young man.
“Grant is an important piece of our track team this year,” Neff added. “He ran in middle school and he came out this year, too, for the high school. He scored points in three of the four events in which he competed in the Northwestern Conference meet the other day.”
In speaking with High Country Sports about his decision, Morrison stressed two considerations: location and coaching.
“It’s down in South Carolina, near Clemson University, so in one sense I will get both the small school experience and even the big school feel,” said Morrison. “But I really like the coaching staff at Southern Wesleyan. It felt like home as soon as I stepped on campus.”
Morrison said he was still undecided about an academic major but added there is strong desire to teach physical education and become a basketball coach.
