Men's Basketball | July 14, 2022
PHILADELPHIA – La Salle University Hall of Athletes member and former head men's and women's basketball coach Speedy Morris has been named as one of four recipients of the Joe Lapchick Character Award.
Joining Morris is former Belmont men's basketball head coach Rick Byrd, Big East Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman and Florida State men's basketball head coach Leonard Hamilton. The ceremony will be held on September 16 in New York.
The all-time winningest coach in La Salle history, Morris spent 15 years (1986-2001) at the helm of the Explorer men's basketball team. Morris also spent two seasons in charge of the women's basketball team (1984-86), becoming the first Division I coach to lead both the men's and women's programs. Over his 17 combined years on the sidelines, he tallied 281 wins, including 238 in his tenure with the men's program.
Morris led the women to much success in his two seasons at the helm, compiling a 43-17 record which included a 21-9 mark in 1985-86 on the way to a MAAC Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Cheryl Reeve, current USA Women's National Team head coach and four-time WNBA champion as coach of the Minnesota Lynx, began her career under Morris' tutelage and finished her four seasons with the Explorers ranked second in career assists and steals.
On the men's side, Morris led the Explorers to six postseason appearances, including four NCAA Tournament berths, and four MAAC Championships. In the 1989-90 season, led by consensus All-American and National Player of the Year Lionel Simmons, Morris and the Explorers finished with a 30-2 record and won a the third straight MAAC. Accruing a 22-game win streak, the Explorers finished the season ranked #12 in the final Associated Press poll.
Morris also guided the Explorers to the NIT finals during his first season in 1987, the beginning of six straight postseason berths.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Morris is entrenched in the history of Philadelphia basketball. Along with his success at 20th & Olney, Morris is also the winningest coach in Philadelphia Catholic League history.
Prior to his time in the collegiate level, Morris enjoyed stints at Roman Catholic High School (1968-81) and Penn Charter (1981-85). Morris also spent 19 years on the sidelines of St. Joseph's Preparatory School following his time at La Salle from 2001 until his retirement after the 2020 season.
Morris is the first and only coach in Pennsylvania state history to win 300 games with two schools. Over his long and tenured career, Morris raked in more than 1,000 victories, grabbing his 1,000th win on January 12, 2018.
Off the court, Morris' legacy is just as strong. He was one of the founding members of the Philly 6 Coaches vs. Cancer effort while also taking the movement with him back to the high school level. He has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research and has been a critical component to the local American Cancer Society movement.
Morris has been inducted into 11 Hall of Fames, including the La Salle Hall of Athletes in 2010. Morris was presented the Morgan Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, an award that honors high school coaches that have dedicated their life to the game and have had tremendous influence on their players and communities.
This is the 14th year the award will be presented to those who have shown the character traits of Lapchick, who coached at St. John's and with the New York Knicks.
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