J'Mison Morgan will play immediately for Baylor

Baylor got some good news today as J'Mison Morgan, a top 25 recruit when he graduated high school in 2008, was granted a waiver by the NCAA and will be eligible immediately for the Bears. In all likelihood, he was granted the waiver because his decision to transfer involved a grandmother that had fallen ill.

Morgan originally signed a LOI with LSU, but he backed out of that commitment and instead enrolled at UCLA, where he was expected to be the replacement for Kevin Love and Ben Howland's center for the future. But the 6'10" Morgan could never quite get his weight and conditioning under control, transferring to Baylor once the 2009-2010 season ended.

J'Mison Morgan is eligible immediately at Baylor.
(photo credit: Daylife)

If Morgan is in shape, he will be an important piece for the Bears. With junior Quincy Acy back in the fold and uber-talented freshman Perry Jones joining the mix, Scott has an athletic and talented front line. But after those two, there isn't a ton of depth on the Bears roster, as the next two post players are both sophomores that saw limited playing time as freshmen.

The key for Morgan is his work ethic. You don't become a top 25 recruit with having boatloads of potential, but if you don't have the desire to tap that potential, even a 6'10" center can end up riding pine. The precedent is there. Ekpe Udoh went from being an afterthought at Michigan to the sixth pick in the 2010 draft, but even Udoh had a redshirt season to develop his skills.

With Acy and Jones on the roster, Drew likely doesn't need Morgan to become a lottery pick. But if Morgan can replace the void left by the graduation of Josh Lomers -- a big-bodied center that scored a few points, grabbed a few boards, blocked a few shots, and provided quite a bit of size in 17 mpg last year -- than he will be an important piece in Baylor's shot at the Big XII title.