A four-star Rivals150 recruit ranked No. 49 overall in the class of 2019, Casey Morsell looked like he came straight out of central casting for his college career at UVa.
Few signees seemed to fit all of the things that Tony Bennett and Co. look for more than the St. John’s College High School and Team Takeover standout.
But aside from a fantastic November outing against Arizona State, when the Fort Washington (MD) native scored a career-high 19 points in 38 minutes, it wasn’t the type of rookie campaign he or many others would’ve expected. Morsell struggled from the field, shooting just 27.7 percent, including a 15-for-85 mark (17.6 percent) from long range.
Thus far as a sophomore, though, the 6-foot-3, 196 pounder has clearly put 2019-2020 in his rear view.
Morsell, who coincidentally enough just came off a 10-day quarantine due to contact tracing, had his best game of the season last night in an 80-68 win over Notre Dame as he scored 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting, including a 3-for-3 game deep.
“I just used the quarantine to my advantage,” Morsell said after playing 24 minutes in the win. “I was fresh. My shoulder felt good. And I just came out there really relaxed and confident and ready to play.”
That confidence and comfort was readily apparent, something that didn’t seem to happen very often when he was a freshman.
“I’m approaching this year differently,” Morsell explained. “I’m using 2021 as a new start, a new beginning. Just learning from all of my mistakes last year and overcoming difficulties that I faced last year.”
“He’s not a first-year anymore,” Bennett said. “He had, I thought, a nice game after our Gonzaga game where we all struggled. I thought Casey had a nice outing against Notre Dame and then had to be on the contact tracing time away and then he stepped back up.
“I think we have him in a spot that’s been pretty good,” his coach added. “I always want him to be a bulldog on the ball defensively and keep using his strength and ability to slide because that’s so important for our defense. If we can keep the ball in front, it makes our defense that much better. Then offensively, I think he’s simplified and you saw that today.”
Being away from the team for an extended period of time wasn’t exactly the way Morsell hoped to start things in 2021 but he did what he could to not miss much.
“I kind of had to figure out, with the team’s practice schedule, basically I would come in every day,” Morsell recalled. “The most I could stay in was about 45 minutes each day. I would get to lifting just about three or four times [a week]. For the most part, access to the gym was limited. So, for the amount of time I had in the gym I had to take full advantage of it. I spent most of my time running and staying in shape and using the quarantine to my advantage.”
Don’t count Morsell among those who enjoys being away.
“It was tough,” he said. “I kind of had to watch the game like everyone else, had to watch it on TV, ACC Network. It was tough. You see things differently, especially when it’s through the television. You see things could have gone differently in different situations. There are things that I saw on TV that I kind of wanted to apply to the game today.”
As things move forward, it’s clear that the Cavaliers are looking to tighten their rotation in spots and Morsell figures to be a key part of that if he can play at the level like he showed against the Irish.
“I didn’t expect him to be kind of in that sort of rhythm, to go 3-for-3 from 3,” Bennett said. “That’s really good. So, good for him because he has put the work in. There’s no question. He learned a lot. He had some good moments last year. He struggled at times. I think he really put that information and that wisdom to use.”
“It feels good,” Morsell said when asked about bouncing back. “This journey consists of a lot of ups and down on and off the court. To come out here and see something go my way, it feels good. You hope you just keep it up and stay confident and stay positive.”
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