JMU men’s basketball head coach matt brady put the finishing touches on the composition of his next James Madison roster with the addition this week of junior guard Devontae Morgan, a transfer from Butler.
“I remember watching Devontae when he had already committed to Butler in the summer before his senior year and he was an explosive, terrific athlete that played the game the right way,” noted Brady. “And here we are a few years later with a staff change and Brad Stevens leaving Butler and going to the Boston Celtics. As it turned out, there was some interest on his part wanting to pursue JMU. He visited campus and loved JMU, loved his visit and looks forward to taking that year off and get bigger and stronger and become a more skilled basketball player.”
Morgan joined the Bulldogs in 2012 and appeared in 32 games in two seasons. As a freshman he played in 18 games and averaged 0.8 points in 3.1 minutes per game. As a sophomore this past season, he played in 14 games while averaging 1.8 points and shooting .435 from the field.
A highly-accomplished prep player coming out of Tampa Prep High School, Morgan was honored as the Florida 3A State Player of the Year following his senior campaign. The two-time First Team All-State performer was also a finalist for the Florida Mr. Basketball honor. He led Tampa Prep to a state title in 2012, a runner-up finish in 2010 and the state semifinal round in all four seasons, becoming the only student-athlete in school history to achieve the semifinals in all four years. Under the direction of coach Joe Fenlon, Tampa Prep went 109-15 in his four seasons, including a 31-1 ledger as a senior when he averaged 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Morgan sits eighth on the school’s career points list with 1,492 points.
Morgan, who will sit out the 2014-15 season as a Division I transfer and have two seasons of eligibility, fills the final available scholarship for James Madison for the upcoming academic year. He joins high school guards Joey McLean of Greensboro, North Carolina, and Dante Sterling of Atlanta, Georgia, along with junior college guard Winston Grays of Cleveland, Ohio, and high school forward Hari Hall of Jacksonville, Fla. All five newcomers enrolled in JMU’s second summer session of classes, which began on Monday, June 16, and have begun workouts with the program.
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