Morgan has yet to arrive on the UNLV campus, but it's obviously for good reason, having spent the past week at the USA Olympic training center in Colorado Springs participating in tryouts for the team. He survived the initial cut down from 24 players to 15 and ultimately learned he would be one of 12 players representing Team USA in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships next week.
He will join a roster that includes a pair of Duke signees, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow. Both of them have prior experience with USA Basketball. Jones previously won gold medals with the U16 and U17 teams. Winslow did the same with the U19 team, winning gold in 2013. Arizona commit Stanley Johnson has also played for the US National Team in recent years.
The team will be guided by Florida head coach Billy Donovan. His coaching staff includes Ed Cooley of Providence and Sean Miller of Arizona.
"I'm really excited about the team. As it is every year, it was a really hard selection process because only 12 guys can be on the team. We just tried not necessarily to take the 12 best players, we tried to take the guys that were going to make up the best team," -Billy Donovan
Morgan averaged 17 points and nine rebounds per game at St. Frances during his senior year. He will likely see playing time at both forward spots for the U18 National Team.
While it would obviously be nice to get Morgan situated at UNLV as soon as possible, a potential benefit of his absence could be the opportunity for him to do some recruiting for the Runnin' Rebels. Steven Zimmerman, a 7-foot center from Bishop Gorman is a bit of a local celebrity after helping the school win 3 state titles in 3 straight years. Allonzo Trier, who just recently transferred to Findlay Prep after averaging 24.9 PPG at Montrose Christian is currently the No. 38 recruit heading into 2015.
Both players are on UNLV's radar and both will be joining Morgan on the U18 National Team. While he will be focusing primarily on basketball itself, Morgan will surely have the chance to give the Runnin' Rebels an extra push in their recruiting process. Above all, it is an honor for Morgan to be selected to the U18 Team and a tribute to his hard work and dedication. Hopefully he can keep up that same mentality and provide solid production for the Runnin' Rebels this season.
Here is the full roster:
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Isaiah Briscoe; Roselle Catholic H.S. '15 / Union, N.J.
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Jaylen Brown; Wheeler H.S. / Alpharetta, Ga.
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Jalen Brunson; Adlai E. Stevenson H.S. '15 / Lincolnshire, Ill.
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Stanley Johnson; Arizona '14 / Fullerton, Calif.
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Tyus Jones; Duke '14 / Apple Valley, Minn.
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Luke Kennard; Franklin H.S. '15 / Franklin, Ohio (Duke)
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Tyler Lydon; New Hampton School '15 / Elizaville, N.Y.
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Dwayne Morgan; UNLV '14 / Baltimore, Md.
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Allonzo Trier; Montrose Christian '15 / Seattle, Wash.
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Myles Turner; Texas '14 / Bedford, Texas
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Justise Winslow; Duke '14 / Houston, Texas
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Stephen Zimmerman; Bishop Gorman H.S. '15 / Las Vegas, Nev.
The 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championship takes place from June 20-24 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.