Scott Morrison returned to Portland Friday afternoon as head coach of the Maine Red Claws.
A native of Prince Edward Island, Morrison had spent last winter volunteering his services to the NBA Development League franchise while on sabbatical from his job as men’s basketball coach at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
“I’m very fortunate to have this position,” said Morrison, 37. “But I also think I represent a success story of what can happen in this league, just going from basically an intern position to the head coach. Not that I didn’t have the experience before. But in one year, if you work hard and really grind it out, opportunities are going to be there.”
The fourth coach in Red Claws history, Morrison takes over from Mike Taylor, who was not rehired after two years at the helm, including the team’s only playoff appearance in 2013. No decisions have been finalized about Morrison’s staff, although he said one offer has been extended.
“I can’t believe the number of resumes that we’re getting and the quality of (the applicants),” Morrison said. “People are seeing this league as a great opportunity to advance their career.”
The Boston Celtics, as Maine’s parent club, are responsible for the Red Claws roster and coaching staff. A handful of players with non-guaranteed contracts from their NBA training camp who don’t make the Boston roster are likely to wind up in Portland. Among those possibilities are Red Claws alumnus Chris Babb, former Penn State point guard Tim Frazier, former Indiana University forward Christian Watford and former Kansas State guard Rodney McGruder.
“I’ve been working pretty closely with those guys for the last three or four weeks,” Morrison said of Boston’s voluntary workouts in Waltham, Massachusetts. “It’s been great to get to know them a little bit and build a relationship so if they aren’t successful in making the Celtics they’ll be excited about coming down here. If they do that, they’ll be a great core to start with.”
Red Claws president Dajuan Eubanks said Morrison will “be a great addition to our team” and that he is pleased to see the Celtics promote from within.
“The other piece that I’m really excited about is that Scott truly understands this community,” he said. “I think our fans and business community alike will really enjoy getting to know Scott.”
At Lakehead University, Morrison turned around a floundering program and led the school to its first Ontario University Athletics Conference championship in 2011 and to the national finals of the Canadian Inter-University Sport championship in 2013. He also has international experience, having coached with Canada’s national teams in Brazil, the Czech Republic and in Colorado Springs.
Dave Lewin, Boston’s director of scouting, was one of the people responsible for hiring Morrison.
“Scott has a tremendous passion for player development, and for helping players reach their goals,” Lewin said. “He has done terrific work with the Canadian Junior National Team, and was instrumental in the development of several young players in Maine last season, most notably Chris Babb. We are extremely excited to have Scott as our head coach.”
Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or
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