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Report: Adam Morrison returning to Gonzaga as student assistant

Matt Eppers
USA TODAY Sports
  • Gonzaga coach Mark Few told CBS Sports that Morrison will be a student assistant on his staff
  • Morrison was a first-team All-American and led the nation in scoring as a junior in 2005-06
  • Morrison%27s pro career was not as productive%2C appearing in 161 games over three NBA seasons
Adam Morrison led the nation with 28.1 points a game as a junior at Gonzaga in 2005-06.

Former college basketball star Adam Morrison is returning to Gonzaga as a member of the coaching staff, according to CBS Sports.

Morrison is taking classes at Gonzaga, and Zags coach Mark Few told CBS Sports that Morrison will be a student assistant on his staff. "It'll be great. The players really respect him," Few said.

With a mop of shaggy hair and a wispy mustache, Morrison was a first-team All-American and Chevrolet National Player of the Year as a junior in 2005-06. He shared the U.S. Basketball Writers' Association National Player of the Year award with Duke star J.J. Redick.

Morrison led the nation in scoring, averaging 28.1 points a game to lead Gonzaga to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. He famously broke down in tears and collapsed on the court after Gonzaga lost to UCLA. Bruins star Arron Afflalo then notably helped Morrison to his feet.

Morrison chose to forego his senior year and declared for the NBA draft, where he was selected with the No. 3 overall pick by the then-Charlotte Bobcats. He played in 78 games as a rookie in 2006-07, averaging 11.8 points a game.

The 6-8 forward missed the next season with a knee injury before he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers midway through the 2008-09 season. Morrison saw very little playing time on the Lakers' championship teams in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Morrison signed with the Washington Wizards as a free agent in Sept. 2010, but he was waived a month later. After brief stints in Europe — with Red Star Belgrade in Serbia and Besiktas Milangaz in Turkey — Morrison signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in Sept. 2012. The Blazers released Morrison just over a month after signing him.

Morrison appeared in 161 games over three NBA seasons.

Arron Afflalo famously helped a distraught Adam Morrison to his feet after UCLA defeated Gonzaga in the 2006 NCAA tournament.
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