By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Former Tennessee Tech men's basketball big man Anthony Morse recently signed a professional contract with SCM CSU Craiova of the Romanian professional league Liga Nationala.
The 6-foot-9 center projects as a starter for his first professional squad after making 30 starts and 31 appearances for the Golden Eagles this past year.
The only four-year member of the 2015-16 Golden Eagle men's basketball team, Morse used his leadership abilities to help turn around a squad that didn't make the OVC Tournament one season prior into a title contender as a senior.
Saving his best and most productive season for last, the big man started all 31 games for Tech while guiding the purple and gold to a 19-12 record and the team's first postseason bid since 2011-12, a trip to the inaugural Vegas 16 Tournament. A year after claiming just four conference wins, Morse helped Tech to an 11-5 mark in the league and a trip back to the OVC Tournament while starting in 30 and appearing in all 31 of the team's contests.
He averaged 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while leading the Ohio Valley Conference with 1.9 blocks per game. The senior rejected a whopping 59 shots on the year, the most by a Golden Eagle since Daniel Northern blocked 75 in the 2008-09 campaign. He used those shot-blocking skills to reject 110 shots in as many games played in his career, the fourth-most in program history.
A fan favorite due to his high-level of athleticism, jaw-dropping dunks and fierce shot-blocking ability, Morse was also a favorite of those in the community, spending time volunteering at Hector Black's farm, at Algood Elementary's Tomahawk Trot and at Capshaw Elementary's Cougar Run. He assisted in several food drives and took part in each of the Tech squad's several community service projects and events while on its trip to the Dominican Republic in the summer of 2014. In the classroom, he was a two-time member of the Athletic Director's honor roll, on his way to earning his degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Morse is one of eight former Golden Eagles currently playing professionally, along with Dwan Caldwell (Mongolia), Anthony Fisher (Israel), Charles Jackson (Turkey), Ryan Martin (Italy), Amadi McKenzie (France), Liam McMorrow (Iran) and Kevin Murphy (NBA Orlando Magic). Two more former Tech stars, Damien Kinloch and Torrance Rowe, are expected to sign professional contracts in the near future.
Photo by Tony Marable
