Bob Morse

Bob Morse
Bob Morse, while playing with Ignis Varese, 1973. (Photo Meazza)
Personal information
Born (1951-01-04) January 4, 1951 (age 73)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolKennett
(Kennett Square, Pennsylvania)
CollegePenn (1969–1972)
NBA draft1972: 3rd round, 32nd overall pick
Selected by the Buffalo Braves
Playing career1972–1986
PositionSmall forward / power forward
Number9
Career history
1972–1981Varese
1981–1984Olympique Antibes
1984–1986Reggiana
Career highlights and awards
Career LBA statistics
Points9,775 (27.8 PPG)
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Robert Duncan Morse[1] (born January 4, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. In 2008, Morse was chosen as one of the 50 most influential personalities in European club basketball, over the previous half-century.[2]

High school

Morse attended Kennett High School, in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where he played high school basketball. He was a prolific scorer for the Pennsylvania high school.

College career

Morse graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1972, after playing college basketball with the Penn Quakers. He led the team in scoring in each of the three seasons, from 1969–70 to 1971–72, in which Penn's win–loss record was 78–6, including two NCAA Division I Elite Eight appearances (1971 and 1972). He co-captained the 1972 squad, along with Corky Calhoun, and was awarded the Class of 1915 Award, as the outstanding student-athlete of the Class of 1972. Morse was elected to the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame in 1977.[3]

Club playing career

Morse's tremendous scoring ability helped the great Italian League club, Pallacanestro Varese to win three EuroLeague championships in the 1970s (1973, 1975, and 1976), in seven consecutive EuroLeague Finals appearances, and to win four Italian League Championships (1973, 1974, 1977, 1978). Morse led the Italian League in scoring for six seasons.[4] His career averages for 11 seasons played in the Italian League were 27.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He shot 60.9% from the field, 85.9% from the free throw line, and 54.5% from three-point distance.[5]

Post-playing career

In 2007, Morse earned a Master of Arts in the Italian language, from the University of Virginia. In 2009, in recognition of his contributions on and off the court, the City Council of Varese, Italy, made Morse an honorary citizen of the city.[6] In 2016, after nine years of teaching Italian at Saint Mary's College (Indiana), Morse retired. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon.

References

  1. ^ One Hundred and Seventy-Eighth Final Exercises (PDF). University of Virginia. May 20, 2007. p. 28. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
  2. ^ 50 GREATEST CONTRIBUTORS LIST PLAYERS.
  3. ^ Robert Morse.
  4. ^ Italian League Statistical Leaders Lega Basket Serie A statistical leaders
  5. ^ "ALMANACCO 581-612 TOP 50 2010a.indd Italian League Statistics Bob Morse " (PDF) (in Italian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2017-11-22.
  6. ^ Varese, Italy, Honorary Citizenship BASKET: BOB MORSE DIVENTA CITTADINO ONORARIO DI VARESE (in Italian).