Versatile Tonie Morgan is Special On and Off the Court

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Georgia Tech transfer Tonie Morgan had the impossible task of trying to follow two-time All-American Georgia Amoore as Kentucky’s point guard this season.

However, she’s certainly been up to the challenge.

She tied a school record with 16 assists in a November win over USC Upstate. She had 19 points, five rebounds, seven assists and one steal in a 72-62 win at rival Louisville.

“I love the way she competes,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said after the UK loss. “I love the way she fights. She’s talented. I mean, when she went in the portal, we called about her, too. Everybody did.”

Morgan, though, saved her best for UK’s win at No. 5 LSU. She had 24 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and 7-for-12 at the foul line. Morgan also had 12 assists, three rebounds and one steal. She played 39 minutes and did not have a turnover.

She became just the second Division I women’s college basketball player since the 2002-2003 season to have at least 24 points and 12 assists in a true road game against an AP top five opponent according to UK stat guru Corey Price. the other one — current WNBA star Caitlin Clark for Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State in 2023.

If that wasn’t enough, she also hit the game-winning 3-pointer just before the final buzzer on a play Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks designed specifically for her.

“You take (Morgan) off (Kentucky), they’re a different team,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “She makes them go. And it’s not just the fact she had 24 and 12. She had no turnovers. It’s only fitting that she would be the one to hit the great shot at the end. She’s really a good player and she plays within the system. She makes everybody else on that team better.”

Against Missouri, she had 18 points and 14 assists – the first UK player to do that since Sandy Harding in 1986. She also became the first UK player to have at least 19 points and 12 assists in consecutive games.

Morgan can work some magic off the court, too. She graduated in three years at Georgia Tech with a business administration major and is now working on her Master’s in marketing at Kentucky.

“It was hard to graduate in three years but my mom made it a point that I get it done in three years,” Morgan said. “I was like, ‘Mom I am also playing basketball and I don’t want to be mediocre in one. So I actually took my time but still got it done in three years.

“I got a lot of college credits in high school. We also went to summer school at Georgia Tech, so that made it a little easier to only take 12 hours per semester and still be able to graduate in three years. My mom still wants me to continue to be the best version of myself and keeps pushing me to aspire to be greater at more than just one thing. So I guess in a way she is still tough on me.”

Morgan is also multi talented off the court. Not only can she play the guitar, but she can also play the violin. She started playing the violin in middle school but has not played since she was a high school freshman.

“I would be a little rusty, but if you gave me some notes and a violin and a teacher, I could pick it back up, kind of like riding a bike,” Morgan said. “My mom also played an instrument, the clarinet, in high school. She wanted me to be a person who could do more than just play a sport. She wanted us to be smart and play instruments and read books.

“The guitar was actually my favorite instrument. I think I could pick that back up, too, if I tried. I really liked playing the guitar.”

She also “dabbles” in cooking.

“My father is a chef and I will watch him cook and try to help him. But I am not quite where he is yet,” the UK point guard said.

On the court, Morgan considers herself “fast” and thinks teammates would agree with her assessment. She was a two-sport athlete and set a Florida middle school state record in the 100-meter hurdles and was national AAU high jump champion at age 12.

Her older brothers were both college athletes — the oldest brother played football and the other brother ran track.

“They never made it easy for me growing up. I always tried to be better than them,” the UK senior said. “We played basketball every day after they came home from school.

She obviously learned her lessons well. After 16 games, she has 144 assists and only 41 turnovers — numbers that certainly make her one of the nation’s best point guards. She is also averaging  13.9 points per game and hitting 50 percent overall from the field and 43 percent from 3.

“She is a player who can handle the ball and go both ways (left and right). She can score and get downhill,” Harper said. “She sees the floor well and can really pass. She has great athleticism. Put her on a team with a lot of scorers and shooters that run sets and you are empowering her to make plays. She can find open people. We could not do much with her.”

She had her first below average game in Thursday’s 64-51 loss at Alabama. She had 14 points but was only 4-for-13 from the field and also had a season-high five turnovers. She did have nine rebounds, five assists, one steal, one block and eight fouls drawn.

Morgan and the Wildcats will try to bounce back today when they host No. 5 Oklahoma at 4 p.m. Kentucky will be without injured forward Teonni Key for the second straight game due to her dislocated elbow.