Northeast Mississippi Community College Athletics

Kyle Morris begins his ninth year as an assistant coach for Northeast Mississippi Community College’s tradition-rich men’s basketball team during the 2022-23 campaign.

Since coming to Northeast, the Tigers have won a game in each of their eight consecutive postseason appearances. Northeast has averaged over 20 wins a season over the last six seasons. 

The Tigers officially reestablished themselves as a national threat during Morris’ second campaign by winning the 2016 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 championship over East Mississippi Community College at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum.

Northeast’s reward was its ninth trip all-time to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., where it lost to eventual national champion Salt Lake (Utah) Community College in its opening contest at the historic Sports Arena.

The Tigers kept their momentum rolling by winning their 16th Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) North Division championship of all-time one year later in 2017.

Northeast won thier 17th and 18th MACCC North Division championship in 2020 and 2021 as well as co-MACCC champions in 2021, which was the seventh state title in school history.

Morris has instructed 29 former Northeast student-athletes that moved their careers to the four-year level, including NJCAA All-Americans Zeke Cook to Jackson State University, Leroy Buchanan to Murray State (Ky.) University and Dimario Jackson to the University of North Alabama.

Buchanan also made history by receiving an invitation to compete in the 2017 NJCAA All-Star Game in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Orleans Arena. He was the first Tiger to attend this prestigious event in 57 years.

Three former Northeast standouts have signed professional contracts, including Buchanan with the Memphis Hustle of the National Basketball Association (NBA) G League.

The duo of Kendarius Smith and Kendall Stafford, who both wrapped up their collegiate careers at North Alabama, signed with Euroleague clubs N.A.P.R. in Georgia and Germany’s Baskets Vilsbiburg, respectively.

Morris was instrumental in the Tigers’ phenomenal improvement during his inaugural campaign on the Booneville campus. Northeast went 17-9 with an impressive 11-2 ledger inside historic Bonner Arnold Coliseum.

The Tigers also earned their first postseason win since 2008 with a 67-62 decision over reigning national champion and then-No. 16 ranked Jones College in the opening round of the MACJC State Tournament.

Northeast set a program record by winning 31 consecutive home games that spanned from November 2019 to February 2022. Since arriving in Booneville, Morris has helped the Tigers to an 86-11 record in Bonner Arnold Coliseum.

Morris enters his 15th season in the coaching profession overall following successful stops at his collegiate alma mater, the University of Pikeville (Ky.), and North Alabama.

Morris landed his first position as an assistant coach at Pikeville during the 2007-08 season. He guided the Bears to a solid 22-9 record and fourth-place finish in the Mid-South Conference.

Pikeville compiled an impressive 14-game winning streak that spanned three months. The Bears defeated their opponents in that stretch by an average score of 77-53.

Under the tutelage of Morris, Jeff Ferguson was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Honorable Mention All-American while William Harris, Justin Hicks and Ferguson each earned all-conference honors.

After an outstanding campaign at Pikeville, Morris travelled further south and accepted a post at North Alabama. He served as an assistant coach for the next six years and aided in the Lions’ return to countrywide prominence.

Morris and his current head coach, Cord Wright, worked together in Florence, Ala., from 2008-10. The duo pushed the Lions to a pair of Gulf South Conference (GSC) Tournament appearances at the Landers Center in Southaven and also coached Kenny Johnson, who is one of only four men’s basketball players in North Alabama history to receive All-American status.

The 2010-11 edition of the Lions tallied a 13-16 mark, but still had two athletes in Ricky Davison and Marcus Landry tabbed to the All-Gulf South Team with Wes Long obtaining GSC East Division Freshman of the Year recognition.

North Alabama improved to 15-12 one season later with sweeps of league rivals Delta State University, Valdosta State (Ga.) University and the University of West Georgia. Beaumont Beasley and Theron Jenkins, which both averaged 16 points per outing, grabbed All-Gulf South Team prestige for their actions during that campaign.

Morris left his imprint on North Alabama’s history books by guiding the Lions to back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournaments in his final two years on the sidelines inside the confines of Flowers Hall.

Following an eight-game winning streak to open the season, North Alabama drew an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament with a 19-9 record and 12-6 mark versus conference foes. The Lions were eliminated in the opening round by NCAA South Regional host Florida Southern College.

North Alabama eclipsed the 20-win plateau during the 2013-14 campaign with victories in nine of their final 10 league contests. The Lions used that momentum near the end of the year to capture the sixth Gulf South Tournament championship in program history.

Rashaun Claiborne nearly notched a double-double with 28 points and eight rebounds in North Alabama’s title matchup against Christian Brothers (Tenn.) University. Claiborne was designated as the Most Valuable Player of the event while teammate Bruce Adams garnered Gulf South All-Tournament Team accolades.

The Lions entered the NCAA South Regional in Lakeland, Fla., as the No. 4 seed. North Alabama outscored the University of Tampa (Fla.) 47-37 in the second half to claim a close triumph and advance past the first round for the initial time since 2008.

Former Northeast guard Tyler Pritchard started and Adams dropped in a team-high 21 points, but the Lions could not overcome Tuskegee (Ala.) University in their second round game and were eliminated from the tournament.

After the conclusion of the season, Claiborne was chosen to participate in the 2014 Reese’s NCAA Division II All-Star Game in Evansville, Ind., at the Ford Center. He is one of only four players ever from North Alabama to compete in this event.

Overall, North Alabama amassed a record of 101-70, or a winning percentage of 69, during Morris’ tenure at that institution. His primary responsibilities with the Lions included developing exercise routines, individual skill development, recruiting and monitoring the academic progress of their student-athletes.

Morris lettered at Pikeville for three years and was named an Academic All-Mid-South Conference selection. Before his collegiate career began, he won three Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Ohio state championships for Dayton Salvation Army.

He has worked at a variety of basketball camps across the nation, including at the University of Dayton (Ohio), the University of Tennessee, Wright State (Ohio) University and Capital (Ohio) University.

A graduate of Springboro (Ohio) High School, Morris holds a Bachelor’s degree from Pikeville and a Master’s degree from North Alabama.