You either love David Morris or you hate him – there seems to be no middle ground among Flyer fans after watching the 5-10 PG play his first year in a Dayton uniform. Looking at the boxscore, it’s hard for anyone to get excited over Morris’ numbers as a first-year player. Touted as one of the most underrated ball-handlers in the country as a senior at St. Vincent Pallotti HS in suburban Maryland, many expected him to make a strong first impression and possibly crack the starting lineup. In truth, it was mission accomplished but the jury is still out on whether Morris has the discipline and court skills to be the next great Flyer point guard. The good news is there’s still plenty of time for him to answer the bell.

The first words out of the David Morris doubters are gregariously similar: he can’t shoot and he plays out of control. There’s no denying Morris’ amoebic .261% from the field and tendency to find trouble by leaving his feet too often, but the reality is the very weaknesses besetting David Morris also contribute to his strengths and establish himself as one of the few players on the team who refuse to read the front page press clippings of Flyer opponents. On a team riddled with players caught staring at the headlights all year, Morris used 1998-99 as a statement of attrition more valuable than any statistic in the boxscore. In spite of the growing pains, Morris nabbed 496 minutes in his first season and dished out 87 assists, good enough for 3.3apg.

With an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.57:1 – good but not great – Morris gave Dayton another capable ball-handler and a healthy dose of quickness in the Flyer backcourt. As he became more comfortable later in the season, Morris started connecting from behind the arc, nailing .333% on 12 of 36 attempts – surprisingly second best on the team with 30 or more attempts. To be fair, Morris’ inconsistency from the field was a microcosm of the entire team. The Flyers shot just .395% as a team which indicates there’s plenty of blame to go around.

On the flip side, those who study David Morris’ game films will see that many precarious situations were equally dependent on questionable play from his teammates. In short, Morris was too fast, too quick, too precise, and too many moves ahead of his teammates to allow for their misgivings. The best chess players play 10 moves ahead and Morris failed to realize some of his fellow Flyers had yet to develop the proper basketball IQ. When Morris zigged, they zagged. When he pushed the ball, they lagged behind. When he penetrated, no one cut to the basket or established ball-readiness. No one is certain who will be the starting point guard in 1999-00. The safe choice is senior Edwin Young, but Young regressed as much or more than any other player last season. If Young hasn’t ironed out his deficiencies, Oliver Purnell may opt for the younger, quicker, more vulnerable, yet more potentialed Morris and use Young on a see-as-they-go basis.

Fans hope to see Morris elevate his game by becoming a reasonable outside scoring threat, cultivate a better feel for his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses, and assume more defensive responsibility. Taking care of these areas will mean more minutes and a likely move to the starting lineup. Should the freshman mistakes still linger, others will be asked to carry the burden.