Ucla Catches Big One, Josh Smith Commits

ADLER · November 14, 2009

As the Seattle Times reports: Josh Smith, the 6-foot-10 275-pound senior from Kentwood High School is rated by some sites as the No. 1 high-school center in the country.

How could this have any effect on North Texas?

J'Mison Morgan was a highly ranked recruit as a center from Texas state champions South Oak Cliff when he signed with UCLA prior to last year.

Morgan wanted a track to the NBA and UCLA seemed to offer that ability. He was raw coming out of high school and UCLA could refine his game.

Problem, UCLA is very deep in talent and Morgan played sparingly, very sparingly, last season.

This season Morgan isn't slated to start, and fans on UCLA's message boards are already speculating that he will be a third team 'solid depth player off the bench' by next season when Smith arrives.

Bluntly put, J'Mison is never going to get the opportunity to develop his game at UCLA if he's not getting to play. He may be a very good player but he has been relegated to the roll of sitting while future NBA lottery picks receive all the quality minutes.

J'Mison is a 6-foot-10 260-pound true sophomore at UCLA. He needs to transfer somewhere else if he wants to keep his NBA dream.

North Texas has an excellent coach in Johnny Jones and needs a dominant big man for the middle. J'Mison Morgan has ties to North Texas, his father Ronnie was an All-Conference player at North Texas and helped carry North Texas to the 1988 NCAA Basketball Tournament.

North Texas is only 40 minutes away from Oak Cliff and J'Mison Morgan's friends, family, and girlfriends could be there for all his games.

Transferring at Christmas break this year would provide him the best opportunity. Why wait? He would have to sit out a year as a transfer, but that would give him the Spring 2011 semester to play along side power forward George Odufuwa and maybe make some noise in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The following two years Morgan would be leading the team with all of the recent outstanding guards and forwards that Johnny has recruited.

It's a natural fit, one that's best for all involved.

CMJ · November 14, 2009

Nice find Adler. I wonder if he's looking to come back closer to home.

ADLER · November 14, 2009

I wonder if he's looking to come back closer to home.

That I don't know, but I think it would be in his best interest.

There are certainly other schools that would be interested, but at many he could run into similar depth situations to what he has experienced at UCLA.

At North Texas he would be the starting center on a very good team.

Green P1 · November 14, 2009

It's a nice thought.

November 14, 2009

That would solve nearly everything for us. Morgan transfers to North Texas and that tips the scales for Mitchell. The future combination of Morgan and Mitchell gets Peters on board and voila! a Top 10 team in two or three years.