Kevin Morris did not know what to expect.
The newly-hired assistant coach had spent the week working the Princeton girls basketball camp and wondering whether he would be fired, promoted, or simply stay in his current position.
Head Coach Liz Feeley — who had hired him as an assistant — was leaving to head the women's basketball program at Smith College. And now Morris was being called into the assistant athletic director's office for a talk.
"I didn't know what to think," Morris said. "It wasn't like, 'Okay, here we go.' I'm not going to say it wasn't part of my thought process. But [Director of Athletics Gary] Walters ['67] came in. And at that point, I knew something was up."
Five minutes later, the former Fordham coach was in charge on an interim basis at Princeton.
He replaces Feeley, who compiled a 68-70 record during five seasons, including a disappointing 9-19 (6-8 Ivy League) finish last year.
Feeley remained on campus for the rest of the week after announcing her decision, and Morris hovered awkwardly. He was now in charge, but it was still Feeley's team. She had recruited the players. And they had seen him as her assistant for merely a couple of days.
"The midweek transition was a little delicate," he said. "It wasn't easy or anything like that. I think coaching is different from leaving a job like accounting. There you probably don't have the relationships you have in coaching. When you have a change, it's just tough."
European Vacation
But during a trip through Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany from August 27 through September 7, Morris and the eight non-freshmen got to know one another better.
"It was a wonderful opportunity to get to know them as players and people," Morris said.
He will need every edge he can get. With the Tigers attempting to rebound from a subpar showing in 1999-2000, Morris is also trying to spring back from a dismal season. In his seventh and final year at Fordham, the Rams finished 4-24 overall and 3-13 in the Atlantic 10. It was time to go.
It ended an otherwise successful career with the Rams. In 1994, Morris led his team to the Patriot League regular-season and tournament championships and a first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. Later that year, he was named Coach of the Year by the Patriot League and by the New York State Coaches Association, as well as Fordham University.
"We had some great years there and a rough year last year," Morris said. "I think it was important that they hear from somebody else at this point. Larry Bird said players only listen to you for three years. There is a grain of truth to that. I wasn't going to say anything new to them."
His message will probably not be too different for the Tigers, either.
"They're pretty similar," said junior forward Lauren Rigney, comparing Feeley and Morris.
But, she said, Morris brings "a lot of new energy. He knows his stuff. He's been in the game for a long time. So, I like him."
"He's very driven when it comes to basketball, but at the same time, he makes sure to know what we're thinking as players on the court. He's very open. You can go in and talk to him about stuff — it's a good working environment," Rigney added.
But it will take more than a good working environment to compensate for the loss of All-Ivy players guard Maggie Langlas '00 and forward Kate Thirolf '00.
Morris said he will try to spread the offense around to compensate for the loss of star scorers.
"A successful season is when the players really play up to our capabilities," he said. "I think we try to coach them from a positive standpoint, tell them what they're doing well. We try to realize that it is important, but it is a game and on some level, the whole process should be fun."
"But," he added, "losing isn't fun."
And it's exactly that attitude that Morris will be looking to instill as both he and his new team look to bounce back.
Read More
Tigers win Ivy League Softball Tournament to get automatic NCAA tournament bid
Andrew BosworthAfter four games, three of which were against the Harvard Crimson, the Princeton softball team prevailed on Saturday to win the 2024 Ivy League Softball Tournament, earning themselves a bid to the NCAA tournament.
After four games, three of which were against the Harvard Crimson, the Princeton softball team prevailed on Saturday to win the 2024 Ivy League Softball Tournament, earning themselves a bid to the NCAA tournament.
Baseball clinches spot in Ivy League Tournament in series versus Columbia
Ify Obianwu and Joseph UglialoroNow, Princeton is likely going to face the Cornell Big Red in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament, unless the Yale Bulldogs can supplant them in next weekend’s games.
Now, Princeton is likely going to face the Cornell Big Red in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament, unless the Yale Bulldogs can supplant them in next weekend’s games.
Princeton men’s lacrosse rolls past Penn to claim back-to-back Ivy League Tournament Titles
Lily PampolinaPrinceton will now play the seventh-seed Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament next weekend, looking to avenge last year's first round tournament loss.
Princeton will now play the seventh-seed Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament next weekend, looking to avenge last year's first round tournament loss.
