The key to Morgan's breakout game might have come prior to Monday's practice.
UMass' Jesse Morgan plays defense during his career night Wednesday against Ohio.
AMHERST — Before Monday morning’s University of Massachusetts basketball practice, while the rest of the team was shooting around and warming up, guard Jesse Morgan sat by himself. Silently, while seated, he dribbled the ball between his legs.
The sound was rhythmic as the ball effortlessly slid from left hand to right hand.
Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap.
All the while, Morgan had a blank stare on his face. His eyes were pointed toward the court, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.
A question snapped him out of the trance.
What are you thinking about?
“I like to mentally visualize the court. Get focused. Sometimes I just do that.”
After his 35-point performance Wednesday night against Ohio, Morgan admitted even he couldn’t have visualized what happened.
He missed his first two shots of the game. Then, a make, to bring the Minutemen within 10 at 18-8 on a jumper from about 18 feet. A minute later, he split a pair of free throws after Ohio’s D.J. Cooper was whistled for a technical foul.
It was a start, but no one could have predicted what happened next.
On Dec. 15, against Elon, Morgan had gone 1 for 9 from the field. Over his past four games, he was 15 for 53 from the field and 6 for 28 from 3-point range.
It’s only natural to assume that’s what is weighing on Morgan’s mind.
You’re not thinking about Elon?
“Not at all. This has nothing to do with Saturday. Just move forward. Next day, get better, next day, next day. Never dwell on the past.”
Morgan has talked about his shooting slump earlier in the season. He’s said good defense is how to get out of it. His coach, Derek Kellogg, has said the same thing.
So maybe that’s why he laughs at the next question.
How do you get out of the slump?
“That’s the first thing you look for in the game is defense. Defense gets me going if I can lock my man up.”
Wednesday night, Morgan was responsible for guarding Cooper, Ohio’s star, the 2013 Preseason MAC Player of the Year
Kellogg was happy with the job Morgan did, despite Cooper’s 23 points and ten assists.
On the other end, the shots started to fall in quick succession.
Fourteen seconds after the free throws, Morgan hit his first 3-pointer. 1:08 after, a leaner in the lane. Meanwhile, the Bobcats couldn’t score on the other end. A Freddie Riley trey evened the game at 19.
The crowd rose, at this point not even realizing what they were about to see next.
Morgan scored 14 of UMass’ next 16 points, including three 3-pointers over a 1:07 stretch, the last of which was a 25-footer over a Bobcat defender, made 3,281 sound like 30,281.
He’d finish the half with 24 — a Mullins Center record for a single half.
It seemed odd that Jesse Morgan could laugh before that Monday practice. He had just played arguably the worst game of his UMass career less than 48 hours before. He was having a subpar shooting season on a team that, despite its 5-3 record, was having what felt like a subpar season in its own right, struggling to beat inferior teams, and needing buzzer beaters and overtime at almost every turn.
But he did. He laughed heartily — not just a chuckle. A deep, belly laugh. He followed it with a smile. He turned his head from the court for the first time.
Why are you laughing?
“I’m just in a happy mood.”
Morgan scored 11 more in the second half. He hit three more 3-pointers. He finished the game with career highs in points (35), 3-point makes (7) and field goals (12).
The night belonged to him, as it so often can belong to one man on a basketball court.
He credited his teammates. He credited his coaches.
Maybe it was good passing. Maybe it was good defense that got him going.
Maybe he was just in a happy mood.