ISU’s Monte Morris earns another preseason honor

AMES — For the second season in a row, an Iowa State men's basketball player has earned preseason recognition as one of the best five players in the nation.

Cyclones point guard Monte Morris was named an Associated Press Preseason All-American on Wednesday. He joined Duke's Grayson Allen, California's Ivan Rabb, Villanova's Josh Hart and Oregon's Dillon Brooks.

Morris' AP preseason recognition comes a year after former ISU forward Georges Niang, now with the Indiana Pacers, earned the honor.

'I've just been putting in mad work and I'm just ready to display my talents,' Morris told The Gazette at Big 12 Media Day last week. 'All I can do is wait and I know the work I put in. There's not no pressure.

'People ask me if there's any pressure and it's just normal. I'm going to go out there and play basketball. The rest will take care of itself.'

Morris, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, averaged 13.8 points, 6.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds last season as a junior. The Flint, Mich. native, also on the Cousy Award watch list, is the returning Big 12 leader in scoring, assists, assist-to-turnover ratio and minutes played.

Iowa State opens its season Sunday with an exhibition game in Hilton Coliseum against Sioux Falls. Tipoff is 6 p.m.

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