The Scoreboard
Sports News From a Student-Athlete
Written by Sarah Ramsden
Even in these challenging times, athletics will continue on. The Scoreboard will provide you with more information about what is going inside athletics.
Former Beloit Basketball Star Now Coaching at Georgia State
December 15, 2020
I first met Tiffany Morton this past summer on the tennis court. Her contagious enthusiasm made for a fun game as she worked hard and chased down the ball. Then I realized tennis wasn’t even her sport.
#20 Tiffany Morton played basketball for Beloit Memorial throughout high school, graduating with the class of 2004 and taking with her many memories and experiences. She was a talented basketball player, leading the Knights to the WIAA State Tournament as a junior and advancing to the Sectional Final her senior year.
Morton was selected to the all Big-Eight honorary team three times, including to the First Team as a senior. As a junior and senior she achieved a double-double, averaging over 10 points and 10 rebounds a game. Morton also won the Ferger Award for the top female student athlete her senior year.
“Growing up in Beloit was a special and great experience...It was a loving and safe community that truly grew up together. My teammates and I had played together for years prior to enrolling at Beloit Memorial which made our chemistry on the court that much greater. I tell my current players all the time that if I had the opportunity to do high school all over again, that I would in a heartbeat,” she reminisced.
After a very successful high school career, Morton decided to play college basketball. In 2006, she transferred from UW-Milwaukee to UW-Whitewater and played basketball there for three years. She continued to be a strong player, and she holds the record there for most rebounds in a single season as well as most double-doubles.
Morton graduated college in 2009, and she played professional basketball in Europe for a few weeks before coming back for a graduate assistant coaching position at Whitewater. Looking back, she talked about how that even as a young basketball player, she knew that coaching was in her future.
“I realized early in High School that when I finished playing I wanted to go into coaching. I truly believe a big part of that was because of the great relationship I had with my Head Coach Brad Witt,” Morton said. “We all knew Coach Witt loved his players and only wanted the best for us. I helped out and coached the freshman summer league team a few times during college and really knew at that point that I was destined to coach and give back to the game of basketball.”
Having decided on coaching, Morton’s experience included stops at University of Montevallo, LSU, and Wagner, before finally landing at Mercer University in Georgia. Morton coached for 3 years there, and she became the recruiting coordinator as well as assistant coach. She coached Mercer to be second in their conference in rebounds per game.
In 2018, Morton became the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach for Division 1 school Georgia State, where she continues to reside as she pursues her coaching aspirations. “My dream job is coaching collegiate basketball and having my own program at the Division I level. I want to give my players the type of experience I had playing for coaches that not only cared about me on the court but also off the court. I want to provide an opportunity for them to grow as women, compete at the highest level and create memories and relationships that will last a lifetime,” she said.
Additionally, Morton has been inducted into the Beloit Historical Society Sports Hall of Fame. She was honored with 4 other inductees for their fabulous contributions to Beloit sports.
Morton emphasized giving back to the basketball community and gave advice for BMHS athletes who wanted to play college basketball. “I would recommend that they attend as many camps and build a relationship with different coaches and staff,” she advises. “I would also recommend that if they truly want to play at the next level, that they commit and put in the time, effort and work to get better and perfect their craft. Nothing worth having comes easy. Being a college student-athlete is a full-time job and has great benefits and memories that will last a lifetime. I would highly recommend they chase their dreams and make it happen!”
AD Corner - New "Normal"
Many things are not "normal" these days! This pandemic has created challenges that we all have to face. Everyone's challenges are different and we all handle challenges differently.
The challenges that I face day in and day out, provides an opportunity for me to better myself. It gives me an opportunity to develop a process to improve my life and my health. It gives me an opportunity to develop a process to handle adversity. It gives me an opportunity to develop a process to reflect on my job, family, finances, many other things. I have to realize that everything has a process and in order for me to reach my goals and be a better person that comes out on the other end of this pandemic.
At some point, we will come out of the pandemic and that will be a fantastic moment! But until that moment, I must stay focused on the process and not on the product (the end of this pandemic).
For you, attending class everyday, getting your homework done and working out to stay in shape are all just as important now as when things were "normal". As a student-athlete are you doing what needs to be done to win everyday? Are you going to be ready for the new "normal"? In order to be ready, you have to control what you can control right now.
I look forward to being able to see you in the water, on the courts, in the weight room, on the fields, and on the mat! I am determined to be ready for when that moment comes, but until then, I will keep focus on controlling the things I can control and on the process! I hope to see you on the other end of this pandemic, ready to take on the world and get after it!
Contact Us
Email: jbeard@sdb.k12.wi.us
Website: beloitknightsathletics.com
Location: 1225 4th Street, Beloit, WI, USA
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