"Winchester's Morrison finds niche in coaching" by Gordon Vincent

"Winchester's Morrison finds niche in coaching"

by Gordon Vincent

Homenewshere.com (Middlesex East)

Anyone who remembers Jamie Morrison as a basketball player for Winchester High ought not to be surprised that he's become a basketball coach.

Morrison's journey in the sport has taken him to some historic and significant basketball locations in Kansas, Philadelphia and Tennessee, before finally landing in North Adams, as the head coach of the mens basketball team at Mass. College of Liberal Arts (MCLA).

Morrison has revived a floundering program that last year hosted the championship game of the Mass. State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), and Morrison was named the Coach of the Year in the conference.

"Even though we lost in the championship game, it was exciting," said Morrison. "The stands were full and our gym was rocking. We're starting to build some momentum with the program, and the school is really getting behind us."

The Trailblazers were the pre-season pick to win the MASCAC title this year, but have struggled to a 2-7 record thus far, at least partly due to a rugged non-conference schedule that has included New York University, Rensselaer and next-door rival Williams. MCLA returns from winter break on Jan. 2 and will play in the Sponaugle New Year's Tournament at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., before starting its conference slate.

"It's been a disappointing year so far, but we hope the schedule we've played so far will help us once we get into the conference games," said Morrison.

Beginnings in Winchester

A 1992 graduate of Winchester High, Morrison was a player on some good Sachem basketball teams that regularly finished in the top half of the Middlesex League and qualified for the state tournament. Morrison went on to play at UMass-Boston, seeing action as a freshman, but after re-shirting his sophomore year, he transferred to the University of Tennessee. The Volunteers were coming off a probationary period that limited the number of scholarships the school could offer, so he toyed with the idea of walking onto the team. Instead, he ended up working out with the women's team, under legendary head coach Pat Summitt, who led the Lady Vols to eight national championships.

The exposure to top-flight coaching may have planted a seed in Morrison, who then transferred to UMass-Amherst, from which he graduated.

He then returned to Winchester High and landed a job under Quinton Dale, first as the freshman coach and then with the junior varsity, which he guided to the best record in the Middlesex League. With Dale away attending to a family situation, he stepped in for the final game of the season against Woburn. The Sachems defeated the Tanners, denying their bid for a perfect record in league play.

Morrison then went off to graduate school at Temple University, another college with a widely-renowned mens basketball program, and served for one year as an assistant at Morrisville (Pa.) High. He also worked for Harvey Pollack, the former director of statistical information for the Philadelphia 76ers who publishes the NBA Statistical Yearbook, a compilation of league stats that is regarded as an invaluable resource for those who keep track of the sport.

During his second year of graduate school at Temple (from which he would earn a Master's degree in sports administration), Morrison started to seriously consider coaching basketball as an occupation. He took a job with Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., a college for members of federally-recognized Native-American tribes in the U.S. Again, he had landed in a basketball hotbed, as Haskell is a short distance from University of Kansas. The first coach of the Kansas mens basketball program was James Naismith, who invented the sport.

With about 1,000 students, Haskell has a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program. Recruiting became a bit of a challenge for Morrison, who was only able to sign up Native American students.

"I traveled all over the country - Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, you name it," said Morrison, who himself is of Native American ancestry. "But I was young and didn't have any kids at the time. It was a grind, and I had another job on campus, but it was a valuable experience."

Playing against schools in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference that did not have similar enrollment restrictions, Haskell struggled at first under Morrison but he eventually guided them to the top half of the league. After four seasons at Haskell, he wanted to return to Massachusetts to be closer to home, and landed the mens basketball coaching position at MCLA.

Starting over at MCLA

The once-proud program at the school - formerly known as North Adams State College - compiled an 84-22 record from 1986-87 to 1989-90 and had sunk to the bottom of the MASCAC, with 13 losing seasons in the 15 years before Morrison arrived, as the college transitioned to a more academically-oriented institution focusing on fine and performing arts.

Morrison's first couple of years were a struggle, including a 1-24 campaign in 2008-09. The Trailblazers rebounded with nine wins a year later, and with a 17-10 record in 2010-11 posted their first winning season in 12 years. That year, MCLA also qualified for the MASCAC tournament and won a game in the ECAC New England tournament before losing to Brandeis in the semifinals.

After posting an 8-19 mark the following season, the Trailblazers climbed back over .500 (14-13) last year, and beat traditional MASCAC kingpin Salem State three times on their way to a berth in the conference final, which they lost to Fitchburg State, 80-72.

"I think it's the first time in 23 years we swept the season series with Salem State, and we beat them a third time in the conference tournament," said Morrison. "It was a good season."

That Jamie Morrison is a basketball coach shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who remembers him during his days at Winchester High. His love of the sport was evident then, and his passion remains as he continues to build the program at MCLA