Ja Morant dribbles the ball between his legs while lowering himself to the point where his lanky arms almost touch the hardwood. similar to a spider pursuing its next meal.      

He goes over to Tim Kaine, the assistant coach at Murray State, who has recovered a ball near center court. It’s Kaine’s chance to try to beat Morant. They won’t, however, interact one-on-one. Kaine’s preferred opponent? Back to the basket, half-court shots. Upon reaching Kaine, Morant turns around and starts tossing balls over their heads to see who can perform the nearly impossible move.

The game is a draw at the end. The head coach of the team, Matt McMahon, then calls for Morant shortly after it does. It’s his turn now.

Suddenly, McMahon is the point guard and not the coach. He gestures for Morant to cut to the basket, skipping up the court. Morant heads straight for the free-throw line. As he soars through the air, he receives a pass from McMahon and flushes the ball underneath the basket.

Morant cries out. McMahon squeals, almost too happy to be on the same court as the most exciting player in college basketball.

A coach may become entangled in it as well. That much fun. The electricity. that lofty. Morant has a way of making you feel more superior to yourself. greater assurance. more peril. You wait a little bit longer to follow through. You extend the puff of your chest somewhat.

Everyone in Murray feels it, and that’s especially true at the CFSB Center, home of the Racers basketball team.

Shaq Buchanan, a teammate, shares his greatest experience from Murray State’s October Midnight Madness scrimmage. Buchanan was one of four teammates that night that Morant jumped over during a dunk. Morant arranged them. Asking them to lower their heads. And to drive the point home, he cleared all four.

..All eyes are on the 6’3″, 175-pound Morant. He turns everyone into a spectator or fan, including his own coaches and opponents.

When someone makes the extraordinary routine, this is what transpires.

It seems like everyone watches to see what he will do each time he has the ball. How far he’ll fly. He intends to ruin.

“I’ve got this mindset now,” Morant asserts, “that I’m going to finish the play no matter where the defender’s at.”

Now, when his kid thunders one through someone, Tee Morant, his father, seems a little uncomfortable. He realizes that everyone in the 8,500-seat arena is staring at him to see how he will respond. Tee is occasionally too stunned to show emotion.It goes beyond the highlight-reel dunks, too. Along with his 24.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, Morant leads the country in assists per game (10.2). He makes a variety of passes. lateral in hand. Inter-court. 35-foot long lobs. how to thread a needle. In the back pocket. Infiltrate and terminate. He is swift and agile, shifting gears without any problems at all. In addition, the 19-year-old sophomore has an IQ comparable to a lifetime basketball player. Without going outside of the offensive, he is capable of controlling it. He performs in an appropriate and enjoyable manner.

“He’s a basketball genius,” remarks McMahon. “A once-in-a-lifetime player.”