Inside the Kanesville Arena, Coach Jim Morris and his basketball team are preparing for their last regular season game.
After 21 seasons and a 440-209 record, Coach Morris is retiring from Iowa Western.
“Going into a last season it’s been one of the interesting ones, where everything you do you look at it like, this is probably the last time I am going to do this,” said Morris.
He said this group of freshman and sophomores has been the perfect team to end his coaching career with, “I told them, this is the group I want to go out with.”
“He is leaving a legacy,” said sophomore Donovan Jackson, he along with his teammates show their coach the utmost respect.
“He makes you strive to want to be great, I love playing for Coach Morris,” said Jackson.
Coach Morris' assistant coach Michael Johnette will be taking over the program next year after working with Morris for 10 years at Iowa western. He said Morris leaving is bitter sweet.
“If it wasn't sad then it means it didn't mean much to you,” said Johnette.
Coach Morris said his relationship with his coaches and players is some of what he will miss the most.
“That will certainly be missed and that is something that will go away ill have to some way fill it with that void with something else,” he said.
His favorite memories are the district championships and the trips to nationals,
“One of the biggest accomplishments I have is I have been coaching for 39 years and I have never been fired, and if you get through 39 years without getting fired, you probably did ok,” said Morris.
The Iowa Western Reivers take on Marshalltown Saturday night at 7pm, and then will go onto regional’s starting the 22nd.
