Amorrow Morgan describes how blessing of Luke Loucks made move to Tennessee easier

Amorrow Morgan has been a part of two staffs already this offseason with his respective hirings. The first job he took, though, made it a lot easier for him to instead take the second one he’s now at instead.

Morgan, who met with the media last week, talked about his transition from Florida State to Tennessee after being hired by both staffs over the past two months. He said that Luke Loucks, the new head coach of the Seminoles, was very supportive of him once the opportunity came up for him to return to his home state and coach under Rick Barnes, entering his eleventh season with the Volunteers.

“Yeah, absolutely (it was easier),” said Morgan. “Coach Luke Loucks? He’s a pro. Like, he’s been in the NBA for a long time. And, you know, he is going home, right, to Florida State. He’s from Tampa. So, he understood the importance of, you know, what it’s like going back to your home state, getting closer back to your family.”

“He understood. He was in full support,” Morgan said.

Coming into April, FSU hired Morgan, who was most recently at California, to the debut staff under Loucks. He’d work for them until the start of May, helping to put together the program and roster for the first season of Loucks’ tenure, before Tennessee offered him a job as well as one of a few staff changes this offseason for the Vols.

“I think I did a pretty good job for him in the six weeks that I was working for him,” Morgan joked. “We got there, we had two players. I left, we had 11. So, if we had four players at the time, he might not have said the same.”

Since then, the two sides have actually joked about it when they’ve come across one another. Morgan has since seen his former, short-term boss out on the road while his new boss has also crossed his path too.

“Him and I still talk. I actually saw him on the road,” said Morgan. “It’s funny because, you know, Coach (Barnes) actually saw him at Dick Vitale’s deal down in Florida. Like, maybe that weekend after and Coach Loucks was texting me, like, ‘This guy just big brother’d me!’ or whatever it might be, you know what I mean. But, he really enjoyed, you know – he was just the same as I. He was excited to be able to sit down, you know, next to a Hall of Famer, be able to pick his brain just the same.”

Loucks didn’t necessarily have to take this news well with an assistant he’d just hired leaving as he’s trying to put his alma mater where he wants it to be ahead of his first year as a college head coach. Still, he was understanding of it in Morgan changing his mind in ending up on Rocky Top rather than in Tallahassee.

Loucks reacts to Amorrow Morgan leaving for Tennessee

Amorrow Morgan was set to join the Seminoles’ staff this season in their debut under Luke Loucks. However, an opportunity came up that Florida State knew he couldn’t ignore.

Loucks spoke about his incoming staff while at the ACC Spring Meetings. He had to clarify that it does have one spot left on the bench following the departure of Morgan to Tennessee, which he fully supports him in for his career.

“First of all, I’m super happy for him. Amorrow Morgan – he’s an unbelievable (guy). I got to work with him for about five weeks. He obviously got a lot of money to go to Tennessee for Rick Barnes. And he’s from Tennessee. And, not only did I give him my complete blessing. I’m like, you have to take this, for your family, for you,” said Loucks. “One thing I told all of my coaches, and our players, is I want what’s best for each of you and that’s not always what’s best for me, right. And, so, when an opportunity like that presents itself, you’ve got to go take it, you know. I’m happy for him.”

Morgan was hired by FSU back at the start of April a month after the hire of Loucks as head coach. That’s after spending the past two seasons at California with other Division I programs on his resumé like Loyola-Chicago, South Alabama, and Nicholls State as well as stops in Division II and the NAIA at Henderson State, Our Lady of the Lake, and Illinois-Springfield. That’s come after a playing career at Idaho State in college and a professional career in Europe.

Now, Morgan, a Memphis native, will be returning to his home state for his biggest gig yet with the Volunteers. He takes the place of Rod Clark, who Darian DeVries, another new hire this cycle, brought him to Indiana.