Marcus Morgan commits to Humber Hawks
From the moment he began playing in Grade 7 at the Fort Erie YMCA, Marcus Morgan has been hooked on volleyball.
“I instantly fell in love with the sport,” the Grade 12 student at Greater Fort Erie Secondary School said. “I come from a dance and gymnastics background and I loved how different the sport was. Volleyball was very technical compared to other sports. You need a lot of technique training and I loved that.”
The 6-foot-6 right side was a quick study in the sport and by Grade 8 he was playing travel volleyball with the Niagara Rapids. He also plays for his high school and for the past two summers, he has been a member of Team Ontario. When he was 15, he actually played for the provincial 16 and under squad. This past summer, he trained on-line with other Team Ontario members.
The 17-year-old Fort Erie resident’s volleyball abilities caught the eyes of numerous university and college scouts and recently he committed to play scholarship volleyball with the Humber Hawks. Before the pandemic shut down college volleyball in Canada, the Hawks were the top-ranked team in the nation. The current Niagara Rapids 18 and under player had interest from plenty of other schools but his list of finalists included Niagara College, Conestoga College, Queen’s and Humber College.
Through its perseverance, Humber made itself the preferred destination.
“It was how consistent they were in the recruiting process,” Morgan said. “Ever since I made Team Ontario, they have always been checking in on me and I could just tell that it was the one.”
He is looking forward to becoming a Hawk.
“I am excited to learn, take as much feedback as I can from the coaches and players and just develop as a player and a person.”
As a freshman on a national powerhouse, Morgan isn’t expecting to go to Humber and be handed a spot as a starter.
“My goal is to learn the first year and by second year get some playing time,” he said. “I don’t know if I will play right away but I will take the time to learn from them.”
He knows what he needs to do to take the next step in his volleyball journey.
“There is a different between listening to someone and doing what they are actually telling you. I feel if I am really able to take in their feedback, it will help me develop as a person and a player.”
Morgan is also excited about his academic future at Humber. He is planning to study cosmetic management at the Toronto school. The program is a combination of business, marketing and cosmetology. He is hoping his Humber diploma will lead to an interesting future.
“I see myself as a makeup artist and I would love to have that as my career,” he said. “I just started getting into it and it is just so much fun. I don’t how to explain it but I just love it.”
He is planning to work hard from now until the fall of 2022 when he heads off to Humber.
“I still have my Rapids’ season and it is going to take me to provincials and nationals. Then I will have a bit of a break before I start up next season with Humber. I am going to continue practising and learning from the coaches that I have right now.”
