Wednesday afternoon, we spoke with Raymar Morgan of the recently crowned
Division I state champion Canton McKinley Bulldogs. We caught Morgan on spring
break in between weightlifting and AAU practice.
Morgan spoke freely on a number of subjects including how happy he was to win
the state championship, his thoughts on Ohio State and the rest of his
recruitment, and other basketball-related subjects.
This season, Morgan averaged 18.3 points and 9.9 rebounds a game in helping
lead Canton McKinley (26-1) to a state title in the big-school division by
beating Mansfield Senior in the state semifinals and then Cincinnati St. Xavier
in the state championship.
Here’s a transcript of the interview:
BN: “Since the last time I’ve talked to you, you have pulled in a state
championship. What was that like for you?”
“It was really exciting.”
BN: “Was it nice to finally get it? Last year you were close.”
“Yes, of course. We thought we could win it last year but we came up short.
It was nice to finally get it this year.”
BN: “They say it’s a lot harder to stay at the top than to get to the
top. Do you guys think you will have a big target on your back next year and
everyone circling Canton McKinley next year and wanting to beat you because you’re
the defending state champs?”
“Yes. We feel like that every year though. We feel like we’ve always got
a target on our backs because we’re McKinley.”
BN: “What was the most exciting part of your season for you beyond winning
the state championship?”
“I would say the whole season was really exciting. The whole season was a
lot of fun. We had some great times together.”
BN: “You guys get done with the state championship and now you’re getting
right into AAU practices. Is it kind of overwhelming your season never seems to
end?”
“Yeah, but I guess you kind of get used to it after a while.”
BN: “What are you going to be working on the most this spring and summer as
far as your game?”
“Mostly working on my left hand weaknesses and my shooting.”
BN: “As far as recruiting goes, what teams are involved with you right now?”
“Ohio State, Michigan State, Connecticut, Miami (Fla.), Florida, Texas,
Arizona, and Syracuse. There are a lot of them.”
BN: “What teams out of those schools have offered you a scholarship thus
far?”
“Well, none of them actually. They have been waiting on me because I’ve
not yet taken any tests.”
BN: “I know you went to the Ohio State-Illinois game, and I know Daequan Cook talked to you as well – something you seemed to appreciate, is that an
indication you are showing a lot more interest in Ohio State recently?”
“I had always liked Ohio State but now that Daequan has committed, my
interest has grown even more.”
BN: “Daequan kind of said that Ohio State had a lot of kids within the
state interested in them, but everyone was kind of waiting for that first kid to
commit to them to get the ball rolling. Do you think that’s the case with him
being committed that more kids are interested?”
“Yeah, probably so. I think that’s very true.”
BN: “Talk about some of your other favorites like Michigan State and
Connecticut and some of the things you like about them.”
“With Michigan State, I really like their facilities and their coaches. I
really like their guys. Their guys are real cool.”
BN: “Do you plan on taking any visits this spring?”
“Hopefully so. I still have to wait and see if I get any time.”
BN: “What kind of timeframe now are you looking at for your decision?”
“Probably the middle of next year sometime.”
BN: “By middle of next year, do you hope to sign in November or wait until
next spring?”
“I’m planning to sign in November.”
BN: “So basically, you will probably be decided by late this fall?”
“Yes.”