The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2017 THE WOLVERINE 61 BY JOHN BORTON T here's far more to Jordan Morgan than basketball. His two engi‑ neering degrees from the University of Michigan attest to his higher reach, along with his Jordan Morgan Foun‑ dation that helps youth in Detroit. The important cog in John Beilein's Big Ten championships and NCAA Tournament success from 2012‑14 hasn't given up the game, though. He's back in the area after interna‑ tional basketball stops in Italy, France and Greece, and is looking to try his hand in the NBA. "I've grown a lot as a player since I left college and since the last time NBA teams have seen me," Morgan said. "Eventually, I'll have to make that transition away from basketball. "I'm not naïve, and I'll probably have to make it sooner than most people would. But for me, I want to give it a real shot before I do more." Morgan has certainly proven un‑ afraid to venture forth, after spear‑ heading Michigan's run to the Elite Eight in the spring of 2014. His time in Europe allowed him to grow in a number of ways, including on the court. His itinerary is also one any traveler would envy. "I've lived in Rome, in Paris, and this year I was not too far from Ath‑ ens," Morgan said. "I've been able to see some really amazing places and do it playing basketball for a living." Still, there's a downside to pro bas‑ ketball across the pond. Most Ameri‑ can players sign one‑year deals with a team. There's plenty of movement, sometimes on a moment's notice. "As long as you're a free agent, you can never really plan your life out," Morgan said. "Most of my moves, signing for a year or changing teams, it's been on incredibly short notice — at the longest notice a couple of weeks, the shortest 24 hours. "I've pretty much been living out of suitcases the last three years. It's interesting. They try to help you out, but it's like, 'Okay, here's your apart‑ ment. See you at practice.' You just have to figure everything out." That means figuring out how to communicate in restaurants, securing groceries, etc. Morgan enjoys a leg up in that respect, due both to his intel‑ lect and his background. From Pallacanestro Vitrus Roma in Italy to Hermine de Nantes Atlan‑ tique and Paris‑Levallois in France, and finally to Kymis of the Greek Basketball League, Morgan had to be fast on his feet and quick with his mind. He picked up Italian quickly and he felt right at home in France. "I studied French in high school," he said. "By the time I left France, I was speaking French pretty close to fluently." His fiancée — K.T. Maviglia, who was Miss Michigan in 2014 — and he joke about their times in restaurants, because he could read the menus and she could not. "But they would always bring me the English menu and her the French or Italian menu," he noted. "We'd always have to swap." The basketball involves high‑level, intense competition. There's a scram‑ ble for teams seeking to avoid the base‑ ment of leagues, and it's not just about the shame of bringing up the rear. "In the leagues over there, teams that finish last get relegated each year," he said. "They go down a divi‑ sion. Imagine if you were playing in the Big Ten, and you finished last in the Big Ten. Well, you won't be play‑ ing in the Big Ten next year. "So now you can imagine how des‑ perate these teams are to win games, especially against teams that are at an equal level. It's really do or die. Guys get sent home all the time be‑ cause teams aren't winning." Playing at Michigan definitely helped him with the style in Europe, Morgan insisted. "I adjusted fairly easily," he said. "It's really a tactical style of play and cerebral, which is how we played when I was at Michigan. Very tactical offensively, a lot of ball‑screen stuff, motion stuff. "It's pros, but it's not the NBA. The lane is smaller, and you have to be really calculated on how you attack offensively. It was something I was fairly comfortable with." He's never been better on the court, Morgan stressed. At Michigan, he found himself surrounded by ma‑ jor offensive weapons — Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway, Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III and many more. Over there, he might be one of three Americans on a squad. When that's the case, teams look for those play‑ ers to score. He's become more of an offensive threat, working extensively with shooting and skills coaches. All of that helped him immensely with basketball, Morgan noted. None of it helps when the holidays arrive and family is back at home, coming together. "It's a six‑hour, seven‑hour time difference, depending on where you're at," he said. "It's a challenge. You get somewhat removed from everything. Being 4,000, 5,000 miles away and missing pretty much every‑ thing that's significant in everybody's lives that's important to you, that's a challenge. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Jordan Morgan Sets His Sights On Basketball And More During his time in Ann Arbor, Morgan was a part of teams that won Big Ten titles in 2012 and 2014, advanced to the NCAA Tournament championship game in 2013 and came within a play of reaching a second consecutive Final Four in 2014. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL