Morris Twins Ready for Lawrence

No one can accuse the Morris twins of taking shortcuts. The identical twins, Marcus and Markieff, deliberated on their college futures longer than most of your average high school whizkids. That included a couple of high school changes and a decision to back away from a college commitment to powerful Memphis.

Certainly, Marcus Morris, a 6-9, 225-pound PF/WF, and Markieff Morris, a 6-10, 235-pound PF/C, both have utilized patience and a discerning eye to manage their basketball careers so far. As fifth-year preps at Pennsauken (NJ) Apex, the twins have gained strength and experience while preparing for their ultimate college destination: Kansas.

"The main thing for us this year has been to get bigger, work on academics and improve skills and conditioning," Markieff said. "We thought we were young to be going to college basketball, so we came (to Apex) to get better and get more prepared for next year."

That preparation has paid off, as both twins have gained strength and enhanced their credentials by turning in several big performances against strong prep school competition. Chances are, they each will rank among the nation's top 50 players in the final rankings for the Class of 2008.

The twins describe versatility as one of their greatest attributes.

"See, with Marcus, he's like a two/three, because he's good with the ball," Markieff said. "For me, I'm more of a face-up four man, but I can play the five, too."

Despite their success during this year of preparation, both players recognize areas to improve.

"We've just gotta keep getting stronger," Marcus said. "Markieff and I have both gained weight, but we also need to get our conditioning better, too."

The twins obviously are in a pre-college environment this season, and they have followed the Jayhawks closely as KU marches toward what they hope will be a championship season.

"We're both real excited about KU," Markieff said with a smile. "They can definitely win it all. We've watched every single game that's been on TV, and they're really good. They have a great crowd there and play as a team, and they really share the ball."

"They've been impressive all season," Marcus added. "They play team ball and are all unselfish. You don't have guys putting up 20s and 25s all the time, because they're all so good and play together."