Former T.A. b-ball star to play Duke on Saturday

Less than a year ago, James Morse was playing basketball in Saco, leading Thornton Academy to a state championship.

On Saturday, he will get the opportunity to play against one of the most storied teams in college basketball history.

Morse, now a freshman guard at Division II Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, N.C., will play against Duke University in an exhibition game inside the historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“It’s just going to be a great experience for all of us,” Morse said. “As you know, the program has been one of the more storied programs in the last 20 years. We’re just treating it like any other game, with the mindset that we can compete and win.”

Morse was recruited to Pfeiffer after an outstanding senior year at Thornton Academy, where he averaged 17.3 points per game. Morse had a 52-percent field goal percentage, as well as a 43 percent 3-point percentage, and also shot 86 percent from the free-throw line.

Morse was named the Most Valuable Player in the state tournament, leading the Golden Trojans to a state championship. He was also a semi-finalist for the Mr. Maine basketball award, going to the top player in the state, and had been named to the All-State team twice.

Morse said Pfeiffer knew about him because of assistant coach Jeremy Currier, who is a New Hampshire native. He had also considered playing at Bentley College and Saint Anselm College, but decided on Pfeiffer because of its location.

“My brother goes to the University of South Carolina,” Morse said. “I always wanted to come down south, because I wanted to visit him.”

The Falcons finished with a 16-11 record last season, losing in the first round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament. According to a Pfeiffer press release, Morse committed to the Falcons in April. Pfeiffer head coach Dave Davis was happy to have Morse on the team.

“James is an outstanding student and first class young man, first and foremost, and he is one terrific basketball player,” Davis said. “He is extremely versatile and can play any position for us. We are very fortunate to get him over so many quality schools in the New England area. My assistant coach Jeremy Currier did a tremendous job recruiting James and was his biggest fan all year long. James won the state championship in both high school ball and in AAU this past summer. He brings work ethic and a winning attitude that we have been so fortunate to have over my 13 years as head coach at Pfeiffer. I cannot think of a better person or player to start our recruiting year off than James Morse.”

Morse said he is still getting adjusted to college life, as well as college basketball. Morse said he has gone from one practice a day at Thornton Academy, to multiple practices a day at Pfeiffer, including work outs in the weight room.

“It’s been going pretty well,” Morse said. “A lot of hard work, but college basketball is hard work no matter where you go. We work real hard here and hopefully that contributes to our success.”

Morse will have a challenge in his first college basketball game. The Blue Devils have won three NCAA Division I National Championships under the coaching tenure of Mike Krzyzewski, whose career coaching statistics make him one of the top college coaches of all time.

In his 30 years at Duke, Krzyzewski has had 10 Final Four appearances (third all-time among head coaches), 12 National Coach of the Year awards, as well as producing 40 players who have gone on to play in the NBA, with 21 of those players being first round draft picks.

While never being a fan of Duke growing up, Morse said he has always respected the team’s accomplishments.

“I never really loved Duke basketball,” Morse said. “But you’ve got to respect them, Coach K., and the program he’s built. It’s fun to watch because they’re good, and the games they play against other good teams like [North Carolina], it’s always a good game to watch. But I don’t hate them, you’ve got to respect them and everything they do.”

Morse said the excitement and anticipation to play against Duke won’t set in until he’s on the court.

“It’s going to be a humbling experience,” Morse said. “Just coming from a small town, coming down here and Pfeiffer is in a small town, it’s a pretty small school. Going into that stadium, it’s going to be a brand new experience for every one of us. It’s going to be fun and exciting, and it’s going to be an experience we remember for the rest of out lives.”