MONMOUTH, Ore. – With each transition to a new school, time to adjust is certainly considered. For John Morrill-Keeler, he made a quick adjustment to playing at Western Oregon University and asserted himself as an integral part of a Wolves team that made a push towards the postseason in 2019-20. Morrill-Keeler now looks back on those experiences and prepares for what's next as WOU sets towards a bright future.
It wasn't a matter of games or a certain date in time for Morrill-Keeler to get established, instead he came through in just his second game at WOU posting 19 points on 9-14 shooting. He made it a double-double with 10 rebounds and also sent back a block in just 25 minutes.
While he was able to make an immediate impact, there were other times during the season when he was adjusting to playing at Division II and figuring out how his game would best work in certain situations. All of that came into focus once he was able to sit back and reflect on the impact he could make each game and how good of a player he already was.
"I think the biggest thing that I learned from my first year at Western has been how good of a player I can be, with the support of my coaches, and family pushing to be the best I can be and me realizing that I can dominate my position I think the team and myself will have a good season," Morrill-Keeler said.
Down the stretch, Morrill-Keeler was putting up big numbers. In three of the final five games, there was a stretch of three straight games in which he scored in double-figures, including a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds against Alaska Anchorage. In the other two games prior in which he scored 12 points in each game, he brought down seven rebounds in each contest. With that success towards the end of the season, that helped boost his confidence and helped him elevate his game for the coming years.
"I think I started to come into my own at the end of the season, for me I had to get the mentality that I can play with these guys and not just play but compete, and I don't think that I realized that until the season was over and we were already into the summer," Morrill-Keeler said.
The 2019-20 team featured one that had weapons all over the court. Whether it was Dalven Brushier hitting big shots or Jaylyn Richardson running the floor and hitting a transition layup or other seniors like Riley Hamilton coming up with clutch plays. All of them showed Morrill-Keeler leadership and confidence and helped demonstrate to him that he was ready to play on this stage.
"It was a lot of fun playing with the guys last year, when you have guys like Dalven, Jaylyn, Riley, and all the other guys that we had on the team last year you come out to play with, a sort of confidence in yourself that every game is a winning game," Morrill-Keeler said.
Being able to stretch the floor from the center position is something that has evolved with the game of basketball. Morrill-Keeler certainly helped do this for the Wolves as he connected on six three-pointers during the season. Even though it was only six, the added threat of him being able to step back beyond the three-point line forced teams to adjust their defenses and opened the floor for the rest of the team.
"Well I've always had the three-pointer in my game since I was younger. If you look back to the beginning of last season, I was actually shooting threes pretty consistently and then somewhere along the way I kind of just dropped it. Everyone kept asking why I stopped shooting them and I wasn't sure why but knew that I had that in my game and just picked it right back up at the end of the season. I enjoy being able to shoot the three when needed. I think that it adds a little extra to my game," Morrill-Keeler said.
Sometimes being the only center on a team can add extra pressure, but it was a role that Morrill-Keeler embraced. He ended up starting all 27 games at center and put together a solid year averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, along with shooting 59 percent from the field, sending back 22 blocks, swiping 18 steals and dishing out 18 assists. Another valuable part of the 2019-20 Wolves team was the ability for the forwards to step in and play the five spot when needed. Hamilton, Cameron Cranston and Emanuel Gant all could rotate over and help if needed filling the spot.
"You know being the main center for last year's team didn't put much pressure on me at all. I knew that if I ever got into foul trouble that we had very skilled power forwards that could come in and contribute. Being the main post that had to guard the other teams' center wasn't hard. I think that I looked forward to guarding the best centers in the league. I actually felt like I played my best when I would play against the better centers in the league," Morrill-Keeler said.
While Morrill-Keeler was adjusting to being in a new system, it was a good time to arrive at WOU as it was also the first year guiding the Wolves for head coach Wes Pifer. Something that Morrill-Keeler truly enjoyed was the chance to learn from and play for Coach Pifer.
"Man, it's been a great experience playing for coach Wes. He has so much knowledge of basketball and that combined with the love that he has for his players makes for a great coach and that is what he is," Morrill-Keeler said.
Thinking back to the 2019-20 season seems like years ago, as it is has already been over a year since the Wolves last played on March 5, 2020 competing in the GNAC Tournament. Even though he has been used to the remote learning and back during last year the remote training, it was a tough adjustment having to be away from campus and teammates.
"I think that I can speak for everyone that it was tough you know, when you're a college athlete and you want to play your sport and it just gets taken away from you it hurts," Morrill-Keeler said.
Being able to play here and there was a challenge as well. Morrill-Keeler tried to find ways to play outside, but it didn't give him the same feel that you have in a gym and working with your team.
"You know I was able to go get on some outdoor courts and shoot a little but it's nothing like getting in the gym and working," Morrill-Keeler said.
Fast forward to this past fall when players were starting to return to campus and resume workouts. Something that not only Morrill-Keeler enjoyed, but I'm sure pretty much every other athlete that had been anxiously waiting on that day to return.
"Getting back in the gym and the weight room with all the returners and new guys was great. I think that we have a great group of guys this year and when or if we are able to play games I think we will catch some eyes," Morrill-Keeler said.
Playing back as a group had its share of adjustments. From having to wear masks to having to play in groups, not being able to play as a whole team has been a challenge. But, overall, the team has been taking the steps to hopefully be able to play in the near future and return to some actual live games.
"It's been an adjustment for sure. We haven't been able to practice as a whole team which isn't ideal when you are trying to win games," Morrill-Keeler said. "I see it as we all just want to play, we'll take what we can get. That's if we get to play all games or just regular season games. But overall I'm excited to be able to play at some point."
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John Morrill-Keeler Enjoys Successful First Season With Wolves - WOU Athletics
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