Morris takes over as Muhlenberg boys basketball coach
Jul. 6—Muhlenberg County didn't have to look far for its new boys basketball coach. Aaron Morris will take over as head coach after working five years as an assistant coach to Kyle Eades, who left the job in the spring.
"He gave me my first shot," Morris said of Eades, whose first season as Muhlenberg head coach was 2016-17.
Morris coached with Eades through the last two 3rd Region championships the Mustangs won in 2021 and 22. Muhlenberg County was 18-12 last season with seven seniors on the roster. The Mustangs were 19-2 in 2021.
Morris grew up in Muhlenberg County, played basketball at Muhlenberg North, graduating in 2008. He's a clinical coordinator for the surgical tech and surgical assisting programs at Madisonville and Hopkinsville community colleges. He is 32 years old.
"There's a lot of history, a lot of tradition," Morris said. "Basketball has been my life since I was 6-7 years old. When I was that young we attended every North game, and even going back to the seven schools, I know a lot of those people as well."
The last few years Muhlenberg County has been on a good upward course in boys basketball, it has become a yearly favorite for the regional crown.
"It's a big job, and one I'm honored to have, really," Morris said. "It does help being from here, just to know this is not an ordinary job, it's not just any other high school. Everybody here knows what the team is doing, you've got a lot of people pulling for you, they care about the success of our team. You've got to earn that kind of respect.
"It's pretty exciting for me, expectations are sky high. Muhlenberg won the region, and we had all those seniors, a lot of people are thinking we won't be that good, but the expectations do not drop for us. Back in the day, North was always going to be good, and it's the same here, Muhlenberg should be one of those teams people are talking about in the 3rd Region. You better think about Muhlenberg when you think about the regional tournament. That's the way I intend for it to be."
Returning players will include Kadin Ray, who got some varsity starts, and others who got some varsity playing time.
"People say we're going to rebuild, we don't see it that way," Morris said. "I've coached a lot of them in jayvee the last few years. They've been going against the defending regional champs in practice for the last two seasons, we think they've got experience. The biggest thing that will kind of be tough in beginning, is getting these guys playing together, that's something that's going to be a challenge for us."
Muhlenberg had a heavy June schedule of summer league basketball games, and after the KHSAA Dead Period is over at the end of this week, players returning will do a lot of individual work.
Eades is confident Morris will do a good job leading Muhlenberg boys basketball.
"Coach Morris has been a valuable asset to our staff for the past five years. He has played a key role in developing our younger players which has been a major contributing factor to the success we have had as a program," Eades said. "Coach Morris possesses the necessary qualities to be an outstanding head coach. He's intelligent, hard working, poised, and has a strong passion for the game and coaching young men. I am certainly excited for the direction of our program under his leadership."
