One of the nation's top high school prospects of the 2014 class is heading to play basketball with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels,and that player is 6-foot-7 small forward Dwayne Morgan (Baltimore, Md./St. Frances).
Morgan is a four- or five-star recruting and according to ESPN he is the 29th rated recruit in the 2014 class, and the No. 8 small forward in the country. He chose UNLV over local schools Georgetown and Maryland, which was a shock to some. However, the Rebels have a pipeline out East in that area with some assistant coaches having ties to Maryland, and Morgan will join Roscoe Smith and Daquan Cook, both who grew up in Baltimore.
Morgan chose UNLV due to their up tempo and it helped that Anthony Bennett chose the Rebels, because of the way that the coaching staff handled Bennett with knowing it was a for gone conclusion he was playing just one year at UNLV. Also, Morgan's skill set are similar to Benett, so that also played in to his consideration in heading West.
As for his game, Morgan is an athletic forward whose his long for his position with his wingspan, and that will play into an advantage when going up against other small forwards. He has an above average perimeter game, and is very good at attacking the basket.
The biggest factor in Morgan choosing UNLV was that he trusted the coaching staff:
"The most significant factor was his trust in the Rebel staff," Morgan's mentor, Dwayne Wise, said of what made the Rebels the ultimate landing spot. "UNLV and Georgetown continued to recruit, even after the NCAA selections were announced. (Georgetown coach) John Thompson III and assistant coach Kevin Broadus did a great job closing the gap."
The offense is also a key:
"Their style of play was a big part of it," he told Rivals. "They don't call them the Running Rebels for no reason, they get up and down. They have lots of 6-7 and 6-8 guys that are versatile who can post up and play on the perimeter like me."
Morgan is UNLV's first commit for the 2014 class.
Here are even more highlights of Morgan: