All grown up: Adam Morrison graduates from mini hoop in Glendive to big dance with Gonzaga
By BILL BIGHAUS
Of The Gazette Staff
For Gonzaga University basketball player Adam Morrison, it all started in Glendive.
Even as a toddler, Adam was never too far away from the sport when his dad, John, served as head men's coach at Dawson Community College.
Adam would tag along to the Buccaneers' practice sessions with his plastic hoop and undersized basketball.
"We have video when he was 11/2 years old in Glendive shooting on a miniature hoop," recalled John during a telephone interview from the family's home in Spokane, Wash. "He used to get upset if he missed."
Adam Morrison is now a 6-foot-8, 215-pound freshman and a star-in-waiting for the Bulldogs, who will be competing in their sixth straight NCAA Tournament beginning tonight. The Zags, a No. 2 seed and one of the tournament favorites, will be taking on No. 15-seeded Valparaiso in Seattle.
Neighboring Eastern Washington University is the only first-time team in the 64-school field, and the Eagles' 6-8 freshman Matt Nelson also has strong connections to Billings and Montana.
Adam's father grew up in Scobey, played high school basketball there and went on to be the coach and athletic director at Dawson from 1979-87. Matt's father, Rick Nelson, was raised in Billings and his grandparents, Richard C. and Patricia Nelson, still reside in the Magic City, along with other relatives.
Gonzaga, ranked third nationally and 27-2 overall, has won 20 consecutive games. Eastern Washington, 17-12, won the Big Sky Conference postseason tournament this season for the first time in school history and has triumphed in 14 of its last 17 contests.
Eastern Washington will open tournament play on Friday afternoon in Kansas City, Mo., against No. 2- seeded Oklahoma State.
Adam Morrison, who was born in Glendive on July 19, 1984, grew up in Spokane where he was a high school star. He has been a key player off the bench in all 29 of Gonzaga's games this season - averaging 11.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per outing.
John Morrison played college basketball at DCC and Northern Montana College in Havre before playing two years of semi-professional ball in Europe. He was an assistant coach for one year with the Billings West boys' program before taking over the head coaching reins at Dawson.
Adam and his older sisters, Sara and Brandie, were familiar figures rollicking on the sideline at DCC games in the mid-1980s. Their pictures even appeared in the Glendive newspaper.
"Adam went on some of the bus trips when he was still in diapers," said his mother, Wanda, who is from Peerless. "John used to change Adam's diaper before the game started."
John went on to coach men's basketball coach teams at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D., and Casper (Wyo.) College before the family settled in Spokane around 10 years ago.
Adam is a successful basketball player despite having to deal with Type I diabetes. He monitors his blood sugar levels throughout games, and his story was covered in the January issue of Sports Illustrated and by The Associated Press.
"Adam's had a good year as a freshman (at Gonzaga)," said John. "He is going to get better next year. He is going to get stronger and bigger because (the players in the Bulldog program) really work."
Matt Nelson, who is from Issaquah, Wash., was selected as the Freshman of the Year in the Big Sky Conference. He averaged 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a starter for the Eagles.
Matt Nelson's father, Rick, is a 1971 graduate of Billings West. He went on to college at Montana State University and received his MBA at the University of Washington.
Rick never left the Seattle area after completing his schooling and has held an administrative position with Boeing for the past 26 years.
He didn't compete in sports as a teenager at West, preferring the ski slopes instead.
"That was my sport," Rick said. "I tried to turn my kids into skiers. Matt did a little snowboarding, but he now has size 17 feet."
Matt developed into a starter for EWU, which defeated Weber State 72-53 in the semifinals and Northern Arizona 71-59 in the finals at the Big Sky Tournament held last week on the Eagles' home floor in Cheney, Wash.
A rugged competitor at 225 pounds, Matt turned in one of his strongest games at Montana State University on Feb. 5. The 18-year-old had a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds in the Eagles' 64-61 victory.
His grandparents were on hand for that game, but Rick - a 1975 MSU graduate - listened to the contest over the Internet.
"He went back to my alma mater - in front of all my family - and put on a good show for them," Rick said with a laugh.
Morrison and Nelson played together last year on a Washington all-star prep team against Oregon.
They met again when Gonzaga beat Eastern Washington 70-49 in front of 12,299 at the Spokane Arena on Dec. 31. Adam tied for team scoring honors with 15 points, while Matt had four points and two steals.
"This year at Eastern has been a dream come true for him," Rick Nelson said of his son. "It's been a fantastic ride."
Matt's grandparents were also in attendance for the Big Sky Conference semifinal and championship games in Cheney.
"The kid is good," his grandfather, Richard, commented. "How good? He has three more years, so we'll see."
Rick Nelson's brother, Thomas, lives in Billings. Their father practiced medicine in Billings for nearly 40 years - and the family's local roots go back to the 1890s.
John Morrison's brother, Tom, a former assistant basketball coach under Pat O'Connor at Billings Senior, still lives in Billings along with their sister, Lois. Their mother, Patricia, resides in Scobey.
"We have family all over the place in Montana," said Wanda Morrison.
Even though he is just a freshman, today's NCAA game for Gonzaga will not be the first taste of tournament competition for Adam.
As a grade school student, his father took him to the Final Four in Minneapolis in 1992 and even introduced him to Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins.
"Now here we are, possibly playing in it (the Final Four)," said John.
NOTE: Eric Henkel of Missoula Sentinel is also a member of the EWU team. The 6-4 freshman guard has played in 26 games and averages 1.1 points per game for the Eagles.
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