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Basketball Vanderbilt according in contact with Morris Udeze (article)

David Sisk

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Vanderbilt has reportedly reached out to its first transfer prospect that we know of according to our National Recruiting Analyst, Corey Evans.

Udeze left Houston, Texas his senior season at Fort Bend Travis High School where he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds. He played a post-graduate season at Montverde Academy in Florida.. He didn't crack Rivals Top 150 in the Class of 2018, but Udeze was rated by Rivals as the twelfth best center in the nation that season.

Udeze had offers from the likes of Butler, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Ohio State, TCU, Tulsa, UAB, Washington State, and several mid-majors before eventually choosing Gregg Marshall and Wichita State over Butler. His lead recruiter with the Shockers was Kyle Lindsted who is now an assistant coach at Minnesota.

Udeze had the reputation of a tough big man who played with a chip on his shoulder coming out of high school, and seemed to be a perfect fit for the Wichita State program. Watching him at Montverde, Corey Evans referred to Udeze as a "behemoth" and wrote that he liked his "workmanlike ability and well oiled motor."

Evans also gave the following critique of Udeze after he committed to the Shockers.

"A member of the Houston Defenders unit on the Under Armour circuit this summer, Udeze emerged as a strong producer in the paint thanks to his strength and motor. Knocking in close to 60 percent of his field goal tries, Udeze, who boasts a near 7-foot-1 wingspan, averaged 9.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game."

Upon signing with the Shockers, Marshall referred to his new center as, “a dynamic young post player who rebounds well and protects the rim. He’s powerful and really starting to come into his own as a productive post scorer.”

Udeze came off the bench his freshman season and appeared in sixteen games. He averaged 3.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and averaged 12.6 minutes per game. Unfortunately, he traded the chip on his shoulder for a sling. He had issues with reoccurring left shoulder dislocations, and had to shut the season down after sixteen games.

As a sophomore, Udeze played in all twenty-eight games last season and started five. He averaged 12.1 minutes per game and scored 5.8 points, but his touches were limited. He shot an impressive 62.1% from the field. He finished 55.8% of his shots in his freshman year. Udeze did not attempt any three-pointers during his time in Wichita, and was just 32 of 69 overall from the line for just 46.4%.

The Shockers have had seven players enter the transfer portal in the last week. Marshall responded by saying each one was unhappy with his role and wanted more playing time.

Udeze would be a nice pickup for the Commodores who would like to add another big. They will have Clevon Brown and Ejike Obinna returning from last year's team. The 6-foot-9 Brown was averaging 9 points and 6 rebounds per game before suffering a season ending injury after game number nine. Obinna improved as the 2019-20 season went on. He averaged 3.8 points and 4.3 boards in his first season of extended playing time.

Vanderbilt will also add Quentin Millora-Brown, a 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore who transferred from Rice. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in his freshman season with the Owls.
 
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