Former Green Hornet Accepts Full Scholarship From Vanderbilt

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Maggie Morrison Ranked 45th Best Point Guard In Nation By ESPN

By Kevin Murnane
In mid-November, Archbishop Spalding’s Maggie Morrison accepted a full basketball scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University in Tennessee where she will compete in the Southeastern Conference. Morrison had offers from numerous other basketball programs including Boston College, Purdue, North Carolina State and Georgia Tech.
Like many other famous athletes, Morrison’s basketball roots began at a surprisingly young age. “I began playing basketball at age three by going to my brother’s Green Hornets basketball practice,” said Morrison. “My dad was the coach and obviously I didn’t do much at three, but I liked going to the gym.”

Since then Morrison has been a self-proclaimed “gym rat.” She plays basketball from 9:00am until 9:00pm during the summer.
“I’ll go anywhere there’s a pick-up game or watch other games, I just love playing basketball,” said Morrison, who finds games at Spalding or outdoor courts in Millersville and Severna Park.
These informal games are in addition to the full slate of AAU games she has during the spring and summer. For the last four years Morrison has played for the Maryland Lady Terps, traveling extensively to tournaments on the East Coast and in the South.
“Maggie is the purest point guard to come out of this area in a long time,” said Robert Hildreth, who coached Morrison for the last four years with the Maryland Lady Terps and also assisted in her recruitment. “Maggie is a young lady second to none. She is focused on sports, school and her family… she’s just a great person.”
Coach Hildreth went on to say the AAU teams Morrison has been on over the last seven years have gone 56-0 in games played in Maryland, and the team has only lost a few games in the numerous tournaments they have played in other states.


Morrison began playing elite competition at age 9 for the Maryland Waves, but credits the great coaching she received while playing for the Green Hornets for her early development.
“The Green Hornets is a great organization. The coaches taught us fundamentals, teamwork and sportsmanship,” said Morrison, who added coaches like Bill Giblin helped her rapid development.
Morrison’s talents drew the attention of many high school coaches in the area, but it was former coach Deb Taylor who recruited her to Spalding. “I was sold immediately. Spalding has a great atmosphere and so many talented students, not only in sports but the arts and music as well,” said Morrison.
Morrison has played varsity basketball since she was a freshman and has received numerous post-season honors including All-Met by The Baltimore Sun and Washington Post.
“Maggie is a coach on the floor,” said Spalding coach Bookie Rosemond. “Not only does she know where she needs to be at all times, she knows where everyone else needs to be. Maggie is just a natural leader.”
Morrison began receiving interest and visiting major colleges in her sophomore year. She visited Vanderbilt in her junior year and immediately had a certain feeling that going to school and playing basketball for the Commodores would be a great choice.
“I received a great feeling once I stepped on Vanderbilt’s campus. It’s a place known for high academic standards,” said Morrison, adding, “Playing in the highly respected SEC was appealing as well.”
Morrison will study Criminal Law and Forensic Science at Vanderbilt in hopes of coming back to this area to work in those fields.
“My aspirations are to play professional basketball either in the WNBA or in Europe, but if that doesn’t work out, I’d like to come back and coach in the Green Hornets organization and be involved in sports,” she said.
On the immediate horizon, Morrison and her Spalding teammates look to revenge last year’s loss in the league championship game to St. Francis. After the upcoming season, Morrison will get ready for Vanderbilt by embarking on a very structured fitness regimen that includes running, lifting weights, and a high-protein diet.
“I’ll go to Vanderbilt in July and begin to take a few classes and go through more physical training to get ready for the season,” she said.
When she signed her letter of intent Vanderbilt’s head coach Valerie Balcomb said, “Maggie is one of those special players who makes everyone around her better. She is highly skilled, has great floor vision, and is a confident and vocal leader.”

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