Posted: Dec. 9, 2011
The Phoenix Suns today signed Markieff Morris, who was selected by the club with the 13th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
A 6-10, 245-pound forward, Morris was a three-year performer at the University of Kansas who was named All-Big 12 Second Team, Honorable Mention AP All-America and Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team as a junior in 2010-11.
Morris, who improved his scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage in every collegiate season, averaged career highs of 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in 38 games in his final campaign with the Jayhawks. One of the nation’s top rebounders, the 21-year-old led the Big 12 in rebounds (8.3), tallied double-digit rebounds in a team-best and career-high 15 games, and recorded a conference-best 13 double-doubles, the ninth-highest single-season total in school history.
Morris was a career 55.3 percent shooter, which included a career-high 58.9-percent efficiency as a junior, the top mark in the Big 12 and the 12th-best in the nation. Not limited to playing in the paint, Morris shot 40.4 percent from three-point range in his collegiate career, including a 25-of-59 (.424) mark as a junior. Overall, Morris averaged 8.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 19.3 minutes in 109 career games at Kansas.
Markieff is seven minutes older than twin brother Marcus Morris, who was selected with the very next pick in the 2011 draft, 14th overall by the Houston Rockets. The pair became the third set of twins in NBA history each drafted in the first round, joining Horace (1987) and Harvey Grant (1988), and Robin and Brook Lopez (2008).
Phoenix, It's Time To Rise! Flexible ticket plans to fit your budget now available at suns.com/tickets or call 602-379-SUNS. Tickets for the Suns preseason home game on December 22 against Denver are on sale now through all Suns ticket outlets, including online at Suns.com, by phone at 1-800-4-NBA-TIX, at the US Airways Center ticket office and at all Ticketmaster locations.