Staten Island, NY - Wagner basketball standout and reigning Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Year
Alex Morales will enter his name for the 2021 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility, Morales announced on Friday.
In March, Morales became the first Seahawk since Jermaine Hall and third Wagner player ever to be named NEC Player of the Year. Hall won the award in 2002-2003, which also marks the last and only time Wagner won the NEC Championship and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Hall, the only other Seahawk to win the award was Terrance Bailey in 1985-1986. Both Hall and Bailey have been inducted into the NEC Hall of Fame.
Morales was also selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 15 First Team.
The 2021 NBA Draft is scheduled for Thursday, July 29, at 8:00 pm. Under NBA and NCAA rules, players are allowed to enter their name for the draft to receive an evaluation on their professional careers while still maintaining eligibility for college competition.
"I always saw something in Alex that I don't think he even saw in himself - a professional basketball player," said head coach
Bashir Mason. "This past year, Alex worked hard and with that work came confidence and belief, which was so strong that even a season during a pandemic could not disrupt him. Despite all of the hurdles and challenges thrown our way, Alex led our team in virtually every statistical category and earned Northeast Conference Player of The Year honors. I believe Alex can play at the next level, I fully support his decision, and will guide him to help him achieve this goal."
One of the most versatile guards in the nation, Morales was the only player in the NEC to earn four Player of the Week awards throughout the regular season. The senior finished the regular season ranking in the Top-10 in the conference in scoring (17.1, fourth), rebounding (7.4, eighth), assists (4.26, fourth), and steals (1.8, seventh).
On January 15, Morales hit the game-winning jumper with three seconds to play, giving Wagner a 76-74 win over LIU and kickstarting the Seahawks' historic 10-game winning streak. Against CCSU, the senior contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, becoming one of just two players nationwide at the time to post at least 20/10/7/4 in a game this season. One night later, Morales set a new career-high with 29 points on 12-20 shooting to go along with nine boards and four steals against the Blue Devils.
Throughout the regular season, Morales picked up six double-doubles.
