Tasheika Morris
Basketball
At that awkward age on the cusp of high school, it’s not an easy time for a young woman. Especially one who may tower over the others.
“Girls at that age get sort of intimidated,” former Butler girls basketball coach Linda Holt says. “And if they're just starting out, if you're already tall, the girl that is tall walks around like she’s trying not to be.”
That’s how Holt remembers a relatively shy Tasheika Morris in her middle school days. But as the Lady Rebels basketball dynasty coalesced, no one stood taller – in stature and in stardom – than did Morris, a 6-foot, multi-talented forward who would reign as Miss Basketball for the state of Alabama in 1999.
The Butler team that won three consecutive state championships and went 98-6 from 1997-1999 was honored in 2022 by the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame with a Special Achievement Award. Before dividing into Tasheika’s credentials, it begs for a quick history lesson on the Butler team. Holt and her late husband Rock began coaching what became the nucleus of this powerhouse through Rock’s leadership in the Police Athletic League, with the girls then as young as third-graders. They began to dominate the local rec league circuit, then took the show on the road, winning a national AAU 13-and-under title, and continued the success on to Stone Middle School, where Linda taught.
“We were playing Police Athletic League in the sixth grade, so we stayed together,” Morris recalls. “And I think it really built that chemistry and just enabled us to learn each other and know when to pass it or not pass it. We just knew each other like the back of our hand. And I think that really helped us to play together.”
Along with Morris on the Class of ’99 team were Nikki Tibbs, Dee Cummings, Chaka Robinson and Pam Cruz, all of whom also played college basketball. Juniors Joi Gopher and Tara Taylor added to the immense depth. Among their predecessors in building the foundation were the late April Nance, the 1997 Alabama player of the year whose college career at Kansas was thwarted when she was diagnosed with Graves Disease, and Von Kirk, a transfer from Decatur.
“I think about working hard,” Morris begins, reflecting on that era. “You know, we were playing year ‘round, playing against the best competition all over the country. So it was just a lot of travel, a lot of good times, and a lot of winning. The most memorable moment at Butler would definitely be the last state championship, just because we had already won two previous and it was just such an emotional time. We had all been together the whole time through middle school up until that point, and just the culmination of that sort of solidified everything that we were able to do.” That game, there was not much in doubt. It was a 103-45 trouncing of West End. Tasheika scored 29 in the win and was named MVP of the state tournament.
That MVP plaque was just one of numerous honors: USA Today All-America, Miss Basketball, four-time All-State by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, twice the player of the year as named by that organization, twice a member of the state’s “Super Five.”
The Tennessee Lady Vols’ legendary coach Pat Summit had long been an admirer of the Butler program, and she offered a scholarship to Morris. However, her playing time was scarce as a freshman, and she transfered to Florida State. Said former FSU coach Sue Semrau, Morris “had the courage to walk away from one place she didn’t think was right for her after a year and say ‘I want to go make a difference somewhere else.’”
That she did after sitting out the 2000-01 season. She led the Seminoles in scoring each of her final three seasons. Morris started 87 of 88 games for the Seminoles, averaging 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds as a sophomore, 15.1 and 4.2 as junior, then 13.6 points as a senior. Her career average of 14.0 points per game is 14th all-time in the FSU record books. Each year, she earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference recognition.
These days, she coaches at Simon Middle School in Kyle, Tex., near Austin, helping the latest generation of girls stand a little taller.
--Mark McCarter
