Marcus Morris- You Can Call Him the "Better" Brother, but He Won't

Marcus Morris, a 6'9 post-grad forward from APEX Academies (NJ), and his twin brother Markieff will both be heading to Kansas next year to play for the NCAA Champions The two originally signed with the Memphis Tigers, but elected to take the prep school route prior to heading off to college. Both of them are fine talents, but Marcus is generally regarded as the better of the two, and here is some evidence that that's the thought:

http://www.rivals.com/: Marcus- #29 in class of '08
Markieff- #50 in class of '08

http://scouthoops.scout.com/: Marcus- #2 post-grad
Markieff- #7 post-grad

http://hoopscooponline.com/: Marcus- #3 post-grad
Markieff- #5 post-grad

Those are three well thought of websites, all of whom rank Marcus ahead of Markieff. The "better" brother, though, does not look at it this way. I know this, as I was able to talk with Marcus at the Providence Jam Fest a few weeks ago, where he and his brother were playing with Stan Jones, Inc. in the Open Division.

AS: You’re wearing all your Jordan Classic stuff, what did it mean to you to get selected to play in that game?
MarcM: It was a good game, it was a good honor. Somebody noticed that we [my brother Markieff Morris and I are] . . . good, so we just played in it and [I] got MVP, actually.

NB: What went into the decision for you [and Markieff] . . . to go to APEX, rather than going to Memphis, the school you’d originally signed with?
MarcM: We just thought we needed another year of prep school to get better and stronger, and just [to work on our] all-around game.

NB: What went into you guys eventually choosing to sign with Kansas?
MarcM: The style of play and the atmosphere, . . . and the coaches.

NB: Was Memphis a school that you two just didn’t consider after attending APEX?
MarcM: Yeah, yeah, . . . that’s about right.

NB: Was there ever any doubt in your mind that you weren’t going to go to college with Markieff?
MarcM: No, . . . since we were going to college, we knew we were going together.

NB: Was it, with schools, you guys were telling them ‘it’s a package deal, both or none?’
MarcM: Yeah.

NB: Why is it so important to you to be playing with your brother? . . . Does it . . . elevate your game?
MarcM: Yeah, it makes us better, playing together with each other, so we always know where each other at on the floor, and we just play a lot better with each other.

NB: How do you think that all the exits that Kansas is . . . having this year, with Brandon Rush [and other underclassmen] leaving? . . . How is that going to affect you two coming in as freshman?
MarcM: I think it’s going to affect us [well]. I just think it’s just a great opportunity to step in and play right away, so I just think that’s going to be a great opportunity for us, me and my brother.

NB: Watching Memphis play Kansas in the [NCAA] National Championship, the school the you originally signed with vs. the school you’re going to, what was that experience like for you?
MarcM: That was a great experience. . . . I actually thought about it. . . . It was a coincidence that the two schools I was going to [were] playing each other, and all I thought in my mind was [that whichever one] . . . wins is the school that I’m supposed to be at.

NB: With all the talk of ‘Bill Self [and] Oklahoma St., he’s going to Oklahoma St.,’ what was your thought on all that? Were you worried or was--?
MarcM: Bill actually called me. Coach Self actually called me and told me that he was going to stay and I didn’t have nothing to worry about. So, I thought it was just a great opportunity, and I knew, and I trusted in what he was saying.

NB: Do you ever compare yourself to your brother? Do you ever look at it that way?
MarcM: No, I never [do that]. We never compare ourselves, we just [are] both great players, and great all-around players.

NB: What do you consider to be the forte of your game, your strongest point?
MarcM: I think . . . I have a pull-up jumpshot, a great pull-up jumpshot, and I can . . . get to the hole very easily, and I can play good defense.

NB: What do you think you’re going to have to work on the most . . . in the college game?
MarcM: Playing harder, I think, getting up and down the floor.

NB: What went into your decision to go to APEX? There’s a lot of prep schools out there, [with] APEX [being] one of the lesser known schools. Why APEX?
MarcM: I just trusted in the owners, and I knew that they would get me better, and . . . just left it at that, so I put my career in their hands, and they made it happen.

NB: Do you have any goals for your college career? If so, what are they?
MarcM: I got every goal like everyone else thinks, I want to make it to the NBA, but if it don’t work out, . . . just get a degree, and maybe get a good job, a well-paying job.

NB: Do you plan on going for all four years?
MarcM: I hope not. If I have to I will, but I hope . . . I don’t have to, and if I play hard, I don’t think I will [have to].

NB: Do you have a plan for how many years you’re going to come out after?
MarcM: No, I just say ‘whatever time is good for me to come out, that’s when I [will] come out.’

For the brothers, it clearly isn't about being the better sibling. Rather, it's about being the best possible basketball players they can be. If it was all about being better, would the two be choosing to go to college together rather than making their own names at different schools? Scouting services, websites, fans, and others may think that Marcus is the better one of the Morris twins, but his mentality says otherwise. Marcus doesn't compare himself to his brother. As long as Marcus Morris keeps up this mindset and tries to be as good as he possibly can, he may well have a bright future on the hardwood.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/