Exeter's Josh Morissette leaving Wofford to join Saint Anselm College men's basketball

Early Tuesday afternoon, Josh Morissette, who helped the Exeter High School boys basketball team win a Division I New Hampshire state championship in 2019, announced a simple message on his social media platforms — 'It’s time to come home.'

Morissette, who left Exeter High School after his sophomore season and spent the next three years at Phillips Exeter Academy, is on the move again.

Morissette played this past season for the Division I Wofford University men’s basketball team, but entered the transfer portal on March 13.

His next, and final college basketball team, he said, will be Saint Anselm College, a Division II program in the Northeast-10 Conference coached by Keith Dickson since 1986-87. The decision will bring him to Goffstown in his home state of New Hampshire.

“I grew up going to Saint Anselm men’s basketball games, and I’ve known Coach Dickson for awhile,” said Morissette, who is finishing spring classes at Wofford before heading home next month. “Growing up around the area and knowing the school, knowing the campus and knowing the program, it was just the best fit, the best style, the best opportunity for me when I was making this choice.”

How he chose St. Anselm and moving to Division II

When Morissette entered the portal in mid-March, he said, “a lot” of Northeast-10 teams reached out to him, as well as Division I programs such as Boston University and Stonehill College.

“It was kind of hectic at first, but I knew I wanted to come closer to home, and Saint Anselm and BU were two of those top choices,” Morissette said. “They both had what I wanted both basketball-wise, school-wise, and be close to home.”

Morissette said there was no hesitation about going from Division I basketball to Division II.

“When I went into the transfer portal, I had to take level out of it just because I knew the next decision I made would be the last decision for the next three years,” Morissette said. “I wanted to find a place where I could go be myself, be happy and live the life I want to live.”

One Division I school that did not reach out to Morisette was the University of New Hampshire, which just last week named a new coach.

“I think there was a part of me that was interested in going there and being the home-state guy to lead them to their first NCAA berth and winning America East championships,” Morissette said. “Obviously, being a New Hampshire kid, I want nothing but the best for UNH. I want to see them succeed. I am always going to support them, but them not reaching out led me to a place I believe is a better fit for me.”

More: UNH names former Bucknell University head coach as new men's basketball coach

Hoping to play a big role at St. Anselm

Saint Anselm went 22-8 this past season, won the Northeast-10 Conference tournament championship, and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II East Region Championship.

“When Saint Anselm started talking to me, and I got on campus, it really just felt like home and I felt like it was a great opportunity for me to go be myself,” Morissette said. “On top of that, when I think of Saint Anselm, I really don’t view them as a D2 program. They are very successful, and win a lot of games. If you put them in a lot of D1 conferences, they probably win a lot of games and be at the top of a lot of conferences. It was the best of both worlds where I could be myself.”

Morissette was told there are “some big roles open” for the upcoming season “if I come in and be myself, play my game and prove that I deserve it.”

“Obviously, that falls on me on how well I go in there and attack each and every day,” Morissette said. “If I am willing to get better every single day, and I keep putting in the work that I have put in my whole life. I learned a lot this year at this level and playing college basketball and getting used to that grind. I am excited to get to (Saint Anselm) show what I can, show who I am and hopefully earn a spot.”

Morissette committed to Wofford University in summer of 2021, going into his senior year at Phillips Exeter Academy. This past season, he played in 15 games and averaged 1 point and 1 rebound a game.

Paul Hemrick, the Wofford assistant coach who recruited Morissette, took another job at UNC-Wilmington, and then Wofford head coach Jay McAuley resigned in the first week of December.

“I am definitely disappointed it didn’t work out (at Wofford),” Morissette said. “I came to a place that I fell in love with my junior summer (at PEA), and I had that same feeling when I got on campus last fall. I definitely love it down here, I love the southern winters, but it was a tough situation that the assistant who recruited me took another job, and (McAuley) resigned. But at same time, I missed home and I missed the support of the community of Exeter that I grew up in, and the support of New Hampshire.”

Morissette said he has many good memories of his “short tenure” at Wofford to look back upon and smile about.

“A big one is the relationships that I made with my teammates,” Morissette said. “They’re always going to be friends and family for the rest of my life. We’re always going to talk. I am always going to support them and want them to succeed. I would love to see them playing in March in the big dance. I enjoyed my time here.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter's Josh Morissette to play men's basketball at Saint Anselm