Clovis' Morris signs with Texas Permian Basin

CLOVIS — Fitting that Teya Morris is going from Wildcat to Falcon.

A Wildcat is a formidable creature that can't be taken lightly. But a Falcon gets to leave the ground, soar high through the air.

That's essentially what teenagers do when they leave home for college, what high school athletes do when they step up to college athletics. And it's what Morris will do next year when she moves on from Clovis High's girls basketball team — the Lady Wildcats — to play Division II women's college basketball at the University of Texas-Permian Basin — the Falcons — of Odessa, Texas.

She committed last week to soar along with those Falcons, beginning in the 2018-19 season. It's an opportunity that has her excited already.

"Just furthering my basketball career, and being able to play at that next level," said Morris, who was given a full scholarship to play for UTPB.

"I think she liked the situation," Clovis girls basketball head coach Jeff Reed said. "I think she liked the coaching staff and the school. I think it was not too far away from home, but also far away enough where she was not too close, either. So it was a happy medium.

"I think they really wanted her. So she felt most comfortable with them."

Morris' height makes her a perfect swing player, an ideal inside-out player, which should translate well to the Falcons.

"She can play inside, outside, she can do a little bit of everything," Reed said. "She can be a guard, but she can also mix it up inside. At the Division II level, you don't have to be tall to play multiple positions. I think she'll still be a guard at the college level, but I think she'll be versatile enough to do multiple things there."

Morris said she was looking at several schools, including Highlands, Clarendon and Lamar. Then, on Oct. 20 she paid a visit to UT-Permian Basin in Odessa, got a chance to soak up the campus ambiance, get a feel for everything, including how the women's team operated.

"I scrimmaged with the girls," Morris recalled, "and everything just kind of clicked together when I was on the court with them. Their style is up-tempo. When I was on the court with them, it just felt right.

"I just liked the coach and their style of play. (The school) wasn't too big. It felt like home."

For the upcoming season, though, her basketball home is with the Lady Wildcats. She averaged a gaudy 18 points and six rebounds per game last season, but her time in the program may be the most valuable asset she provides it.

"Right now it's experience," Reed said. "She's been a starter on varsity since she was a freshman, so she definitely has that experience. And she brings that versatility to us. We can play her at multiple positions. And she brings scoring, obviously. ... She just brings those kinds of things that we need. .... Defensively, we can also put her on the other team's best player. The post play that we need, she's been able to fill those gaps, but she can also play guard. Versatility is a nice thing for a coach to have."

There's no reason Morris can't match last season's production, if not top it this winter as her high school career winds down. Her numbers are the kind you can't just pluck off trees, so they'll be hard to replace when she graduates.

"Next year we're definitely going to have to have some people step up that maybe haven't been in the program that long," Reed said. "Filling the void of that experience and also filling the void for that go-to person. We have some good talent, but nobody is a big-time talent yet, I guess you could say. It's nice to have that go-to scorer."