Will Morris

Head Coach

wmorris@whittier.edu

(562) 907-4932



Will Morris begins his tenth season as head coach of the Poets.  His focus has always been on stressing the proper balance between academics and athletics in an academic setting.  He seeks to provide the opportunity for giving the student-athlete a great all- around college experience while playing basketball at a very high level.

 

Morris has an extensive background in basketball and has coached numerous players that have played NCAA Division I basketball as well as a number of  players who have gone on to play professionally.  His former players have played professionally around the world, including Australia, Denmark, Mexico, Canada and Taiwan.

 

Morris is known for teams that play pressure defense and attempt to fastbreak whenever possible.  He believes that it is not only a successful style, but an enjoyable one for the players to play.  He has had teams ranked nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

Morris has a distinctly different academic background than most college basketball coaches.  He understands the rigors of students in highly competitive academic environments.  He is a cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison Law School.  He was elected to Order of the Coif, the national law school honor society.  He also received the Dean's Academic Achievement Award and was selected for Law Review.  Morris obtained his undergraduate degree in sociology and anthropology from Oberlin College.

He practiced law full-time for a number of years, specializing in estate planning, real estate and business law.  He has served on the Board of Directors of the San Gabriel Valley Bar Association and the city of Alhambra Chamber of Commerce.

At Whittier, in addition to his coaching responsibilities, Will teaches in the Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Science..  He teaches courses in Sport and Recreational Management and Sports Law. 

Since his arrival at Whittier, his teams have played across the country including Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, St. Louis and Tennessee.  Morris believes in the value of traveling not only to play the best competition available, but also for the opportunity for the student-athletes to experience new and different places.  Each trip is not only an athletic experience, but an educational opportunity as well.  For example, while at the University of Chicago tournament, several of his players saw it snow for the first time in their lives.  While in Washington D.C., the players competed against the nation's only institution of higher learning for the deaf, visited the Smithsonian, received a special tour of the White House and attended oral arguments in the Supreme Court.

Prior to coming to Whittier, will was the Associate Head Coach for men at NCAA Division II Cal State Hayward (now East Bay).  Will helped turn that program around.  Prior to his arrival at Hayward, the Pioneers had won only three games during the previous season.  In his first year, they won eight games and in his second and final year, they won 18 games and were co-champions of the Northern California Athletic Conference.  While at Hayward, the defense he coordinated was ranked second nationally in NCAA Division II.

No Stranger to the SCIAC, Will began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of LaVerne.  During Will's three years with the Leopards, they were nationally ranked every season.  The 1992-93 team was ranked first of all teams in the Western Region, were SCIAC Champs and reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

In addition to his teaching and coaching basketball at Whittier, Will also served as the head women's lacrosse coach for three years and was the head golf coach for three years.  Will began his coaching career with stints at Blair, St. Francis and Pasadena High Schools.


Christina Alcala

Assistant Coach








Rene Herrera

Assistant Coach