Passion and energy drive Morrill’s basketball genius
Stew Morrill is USU Basketball.
Plain and simple.
“He is the program, basically,” Don Verlin, long-time Morrill assistant, said. “There are a lot of things that go into a program, but there’s only one person really in charge.”
In his nine seasons as USU’s head coach, Morrill has racked up an impressive 211 wins – including eight straight 20-win seasons. This total puts Morrill in second place all-time at USU – he only needs 15 wins to pass E. Lowell Romney and become the all-time leader.
Morrill has also coached the Aggies to seven straight postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournament bids.
Even with all the success, Morrill isn’t going to start worrying about his legacy in Logan.
“I’ve never really thought of having a legacy anywhere, I’ve just been trying to keep my job. That’s the honest to God truth,” Morrill said. “Coaching is a day-to-day profession with lots of pitfalls, and you’re doing everything you can to just try and win games and try and graduate players. I’ve never been very good at stopping and smelling the roses. I need to get better at that, be it personally or professionally. I’m always concerned about the next game, the next practice, the next year.”
With this attitude, Morrill has accomplished a lot over his 20-year coaching career, which started as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Gonzaga, from 1975-1978. Morrill’s first head coaching job was at Montana in 1987. He then moved to Colorado State in 1992 and on to USU in 1999.
In his head coaching stops at Montana and Colorado State, he recorded 218 wins and one NCAA Tournament appearance. Morrill took Montana to the NCAA Tournament in 1991.
“I’ve always felt like it was a privilege to be the coach at Utah State, or Colorado State, or Montana,” Morrill said. “Wherever I’ve been the head coach I’ve felt very fortunate, because there are so few of these jobs and so few coaches who get a chance to be a Division-I head coach. I’ve felt very fortunate and I’ve dreaded the day that somebody might tell me that I can’t do it anymore, probably more than I’ve ever thought about somebody saying, ‘You know what, you did a pretty good job.'”
Some of the success Morrill has had can be attributed to the players he’s been able to recruit. He has coached 10 first-team all-league players, including Jaycee Carroll who was named first-team all-WAC this year.
Senior guard-forward Durrall Peterson said Morrill’s tradition of winning is one reason he’s able to recruit good players, because everyone wants to play for a winner.
“He’s a winner,” Peterson said. “Not every coach is a winner. Some coaches don’t have that mentality. Some coaches didn’t play basketball in college. They didn’t get this experience. And he gets to speak from true life experiences and that’s always good for a coach and his players.”
The true life experience Peterson speaks about comes from Morrill’s college basketball career, which started at Rick’s Junior College in Idaho where he was named a junior college all-American in 1972. Morrill then went on to play at Gonzaga, where he was first-team all-conference in 1974. He also played a year of professional basketball in France.
Peterson said this experience gives Morrill credibility with players, because it means he knows what he is talking about.
Morrill’s connection with his players is another thing that gives him credibility.
It’s important for players that are a long way from home, in a cold place, to have someone to look to when times get tough, Peterson said.
“He’s always there for you. I guess you could say he’s like another father figure,” senior forward Chris Session said.
Morrill’s success could be a product of many things, but there is one thing that can be clearly seen by anyone who watches an Aggie basketball game – Morrill’s passion.
“Coach has a passion for basketball, and a passion for Utah State basketball, and a passion for Utah State winning basketball games,” Verlin said. “I think when you’re going to ask your kids to do things at a high level, you have to be the most passionate one of all, and that’s what he is.”
This passion doesn’t go unnoticed by the players on the floor.
“I’m a player and I get distracted at times seeing him jumping up and down on the sideline,” Session said. But it inspires him to play harder, he added.
Peterson said Morrill’s intensity and passion for the sport play a big role in his winning ways.
“His personality fit basketball really well,” Peterson said.
Morrill’s energy also connects him to the fans inside USU’s Dee Glenn Smith Spectrum. His name is announced at every home game to a chorus of “Stew,” and during the game, he motions to the crowd for more intensity, and the crowd responds.
And the Spectrum has been good to Morrill. Going into this season, he posted a .991 winning percentage in the Spectrum, including only 11 losses. And until their recent home loss to Fresno State, the Aggies had a 15-game home winning streak that dated back to Feb. 25, 2006.
“Utah State basketball isn’t what it is without the fans and the support that we have. It’s unbelievable and there’s no one that appreciates that more than Coach Morrill,” Verlin said.
Fans of USU basketball appreciate Stew Morrill. And according to Morrill, this mutual fondness is something that looks to continue for some time.
“Since the day I got here nine years ago I said this would probably be my last job,” Morrill said at a press conference Monday. “I’ve said it a number of times, and it’s the way I feel. Utah State’s been great to me. It’s been a two-way loyalty street and I don’t see that changing.”