Monte Morris to Play for Cyclones in 2016-17

Iowa State's junior point guard announced this morning he'll return for his senior season, a huge relief to Iowa State fans.

Morris has decided not to enter the NBA draft, instead saying, "After carefully considering all of my options and speaking with Coach Prohm and my family, I have decided to return to Iowa State for my senior season. Ultimately, it came down to wanting to accomplish a number of things, with earning my degree and continuing my development as a basketball player my top priorities. I want to get stronger and become the best basketball player I can before becoming a professional, and I feel another year at Iowa State can help me do that.”

Monte also showed big love for the fans via a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications with this comment: "One of the great things about playing at Iowa State is playing in front of Cyclone fans at Hilton Coliseum. I can’t wait to experience Hilton Magic again with my teammates. We will work hard this summer as we try to earn Iowa State’s sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. This university and its fans have always been loyal to me and I will always be loyal to ISU.”

Morris averaged 13.9 points and 4.0 rebounds this past season. He also set an Iowa State single-season record with 6.9 assists per game. That mark had previously been held by Jeff Hornacek.

Perhaps the biggest reason Iowa State fans should be glad Monte is returning is his career assist-to-turnover ratio... a nearly unheard of 4.47!

A native of Flint, Michigan, Morris will head into his senior season with the Cyclones already high on many of the school's career lists. He's sixth in assists (551), eighth in steals (172), 18th in 3-pointers made (98), and 26th in scoring (1,133 points). He's 115 assists and 40 steals short of setting school records in each category. If he stays healthy, those records will most surely fall. Monte has also made 86 consecutive starts, the fifth-longest streak in school history.

Iowa State fans can feel very good about the upcoming season, knowing Morris will again be at the controls of the Cyclones offense.

[via Iowa State Athletics Communications]