"RIP DMo and condolences to the Morris family" - Former Michigan HC pays respect to late Wolverine star Darius Morris
Former Michigan basketball head coach, John Beilein, recently took to X to share his condolences to the family of the late Wolverines point guard Darius Morris. The former Lakers point guard passed away at the young age of 33 on May 4. Morris played under Beilein and was the team`s starting point guard in 2010-2011.
"Saddened to hear about the passing of former Wolverine Darius Morris. In 2010-11 Darius was our starting pt gd . He was a leader in that program changing 21 win season that laid the foundation for Michigan’s next decade of success. RIP DMo and condolences to the Morris family."
Multiple tributes have already flowed in for the point guard, including one from his former NBA team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers` official Instagram page posted this message upon hearing of the news:
The post has been liked over 674k times and earned over 5500 comments. Most of the people commenting were shocked at the sudden news. \Darius Morris` cause of death is still not revealed as of the present time.
A 6 ft. 4, 195-lb point guard out of California, Morris played two seasons with the Michigan Wolverines before being selected in the 2011 NBA Draft. The Lakers picked him as the 41st overall selection in the second round. He played in LA from 2011-2013, then bounced around the league having stops with the Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Brooklyn Nets.
He also spent a bit of time in the G-League before finding his way overseas. He had a few stops in China, Russia, and France, before news of his untimely death surfaced.
Darius Morris` career at Michigan
Before getting drafted into the NBA, Darius Morris had a stellar two seasons in Ann Arbor under John Beilein. His best season, as previously mentioned, was in the 2010-2011 season when he averaged 15 points, 6.7 assists, and 4 rebounds a game for the Wolverines as their starting floor general.
The team finished a respectable 21-14 (9-9) in the Big Ten, partly due to Morris` efforts. He was recognized as the Big Ten assists leader that same year, and also set the old single-season assist record for the Wolverines which Dallas Mavericks PG Trey Burke has since broken.
Michigan made the NCAA Tournament that year, though they were knocked out early by old rival Duke.