THE FUTURE ISSUE ++++++++++++++++++++++++++
J
A MORANT isn’t used to
being in the spotlight. It’s
something that’s been a
foreign language he’s getting
accustomed to every day.
It could be the fans asking
for autographs and photos; report-
ers submitting interview requests for
soundbites; or his social media buzzing
as his follower count increases with each
minute that passes by.
“It’s been tough,” he says, admitting
the notoriety has been challenging. “I’m
not used to being out there a lot. I’m
used to just going to hoop where nobody
knows me.”
He refers to the fame as “paparaz-
zi-type stuff,” but knows this comes with
the territory when you’re a household
name. When asked if he remembers
getting a glimpse of the spotlight, he’ll
direct you to last November.
“Probably after the Alabama game,”
he says. “I had almost 40 and a dunk that
went viral. Social media just went crazy.”
Morant actually had 38 points. Andthe viral dunk he mentions came in the
second half against the Crimson Tide
in Tuscaloosa. He received an inbounds
pass, dribbled in the open court en route
to the rim, and took off from inside the
paint for a tomahawk dunk as five white
jerseys surrounded him. An aerial angle
shows the defender closest to the rim
crouching immediately after jumping to
avoid getting put on a poster. The dunk
was on loop from just about every major
sports media outlet. Then, going viral
became the norm.
In January, he obliterated Quintin
Dove, a 6-8 forward from UT-Martin.
Morant was on the wing, went backdoor
as his defender overplayed the passing
lane, took one dribble and gathered, as
his 6-3, 175-pound frame soared over
Dove outside the block, causing a ruckus
throughout the arena. The play was
No. 1 on SportsCenter. There was anoth-
er tomahawk against Eastern Illinois a
week later.
Soon after, the world knew more
about Morant every time he stepped onthe floor. He said Allen Iverson reached
out, admiring his toughness. Kevin
Durant called him his favorite college
basketball player on a podcast and
others followed suit.
Morant stuffed stat sheets on a
nightly basis—24.5 ppg, 10.0 apg and 5.7
rpg while shooting close to 40 percent
from behind the arc. He became the first
player to average 20 and 10 in a season
since the NCAA began to recognize
assists in 1983-84. He also ranked in the
top-10 in points, assists (331) and
double-doubles (20).
His 40 points, 11 assists and 5 steals
against SIU-Edwardsville made him
the first Division I player with that stat
line. Twenty-one of those 40 came
from the charity stripe, establishing an
Ohio Valley Conference single-season
record to become the first player with
20-plus consecutive made free throws.
He played an integral role in the Racers’
28-5 overall record and earned OVC POY
and tournament MVP honors. And to cap
off his sophomore season, Morant was40 SLAMONLINE.COM