City of Basketball Love

Jared Leveson (@jared_leveson)
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FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. -- Antonio and Noah Morris live for basketball. 

One-on-one contests in the driveway is the primary activity for the brothers, born eleven months apart. 

Many kids imagine their driveway as a NBA Finals Game 7 or NCAA Final Four, but Antonio and Noah always dreamed of making big-time shots and playing at Bensalem High School for their dad.

Ron Morris had coached his sons’ AAU team and every prior level. But for the Morris brothers, donning the Bensalem blue-and-black means a whole lot more. Bensalem basketball is family. 

Everything came true last season when Antonio made the full-time varsity roster while Noah swung between junior varsity and varsity during their tenth grade seasons. 

“We would always watch Bensalem,” said Noah, the younger brother born on July 29, 2006. “We dreamt about coming up here and playing and now it's finally here where all three of us are together.” 

“I want it to slow down,” added Antonio, the oldest, born on September 2, 2005. “I feel like it's almost over, but it's really cool playing for my dad.

“I've just waited for it my whole life.” 

The Morris boys have made the most of their situation so far. Antonio is in the starting five and Noah comes off the bench to provide a spark on the defensive end. The juniors’ competitiveness, unselfishness, and unwavering support of one another, and their teammates, helped Bensalem overcome SOL Patriot division rival Pennsbury, 49-46 Wednesday night.  

“I’ve always been able to separate teacher-coach and I think that’s helped me with separating dad-player,” Ron said about adjusting to coaching his sons. “I always tell them, I'll never play you because you're my son and I'll never not play you because you're my son. 

“You gotta earn everything, you gotta grind and work. We put a lot of work in. We put a lot of hours into this.” 

Playing for their father was always a must, but the hours Antonio and Noah spent playing against one another in their driveway made their dream a reality. 

Most days, Antonio and Noah would get a quick skills lesson from dad and then play one-on-one afterward to see what they learned. Like any other siblings, their driveway sessions got heated, with fights and yelling. 

Many times, the boys had to be broken up by Ron or the two yelled for Dad to officiate their battles because neither Antonio or Noah thought they could call an honest game themselves.

“Sometimes I just walk away because it frustrates me,” Ron said. “Sometimes I gotta be the person to separate them.

“A lot of times they would call me out, ‘Dad, you gotta ref! You have to ref!’”

Sometimes, Dad opts for a more hands-on lesson and takes the boys on in a game of 21. Ron has won a lot, but he knows that his time as king of the court is ticking. The third-year head coach acknowledges that his lateral quickness will decline with his inevitable aging. But he still take’s pride in showing the boys who’s boss. 

“I tell them when we play, they can't beat me,” Ron said, smirking. “Although, I'm not gonna lie — Antonio beat me one time, but other than that I take it to him.” 

The trio’s driveway sessions have created a solid foundation for their relationship. It was quality time spent together.

But Ron noted that his sons “flipped a switch” during the initial COVID pandemic quarantine as their driveway sessions grew more intense, since they had nobody else to play against. 

“It was a lot of arguing,” Antonio recalled. “It got serious during quarantine because you’re not seeing anyone else. He (Noah) was the only person I was playing with. A lot of heated moments.” 

“It kinda fueled the fire for them to just wanna work,” Ron said. 

The Morris family (L to R): Maria, Noah, Ella, Ron and Antonio.
(Photo courtesy Morris family)

The mentality and the fiery competition of their driveway sessions followed them to the Bensalem gym last year, when the boys made varsity and the three finally shared a Bensalem court together as coach and players, not father and sons. 

Noah swung varsity and practiced with the scout team against Antonio and the varsity squad during practice. Varsity practices were more organized, but Noah still found ways to make the hardwood feel like driveway pavement. 

“I was on the scout team,” the 5-foot-8 brother said. “I would always talk about (Antonio’s) jump shot, it's much more improved now [...] he would get so mad when I would talk about his jumpshot.” 

However, Antonio has never had an issue getting under his younger brother’s skin. The two have shared a bedroom their whole lives and when you spend so much time with one another , causing havoc and annoyance is commonplace. 

“Yeah, he knows how to push all my buttons,” Noah said. 

“We are in there a lot,” Antonio said. “We are around each other a lot. We really can't get away from each other.”

Being around one another that much is a double-edged sword. They know how to motivate and make one another happy. Antonio and Noah know they’re at their best when they push one another to be better. 

“We both support each other all the way,” Antonio said. “I supported him, watching his JV games. He supported me while watching my varsity games. We’re not selfish. We are just happy to see each other win.” 

Nobody was happier than Noah when Antonio made the play of the game for Bensalem in their back-and-forth affair with Pennsbury. 

With 1:27 left in the fourth quarter and the game tied at 45, Bensalem had possession until Pennsbury’s Ted Mangan knocked the ball loose. Antonio and Mangan sprinted for the ball as it rolled down the floor. With Mangan closing in, Antonio dove for the rock, fully extending his body and securing possession. The 5-foot-11 junior rolled on his back and outletted the ball to teammate Eric Gonzalez. 

Pennsbury immediately fouled and Gonzalez hit a go-ahead free throw. The Eagles never gave the lead back. 

“I said it was a great play,” Noah said to Antonio during a stoppage in play. “That's what it's all about.” 

Ron separately found the time to share some words with Antonio during Gonzalez’s foul shots. 

He pulled Antonio in close and said, ”great players make great plays.” But Antonio was doing what dad had been telling him at every driveway session, practice, and game for years. 

“Coach always tells us to put our body on the line,” Antonio said about his game-changing play. “The ball was a little far but I knew I could get to it. That’s what it takes to win. I knew I had to go get it.” 

“That was a big moment,” Ron said afterward. “Us getting possession there was huge and him being the leader and a captain, it's great seeing that player do that in that point of the game.”

“To win at Pennsbury is always tough and for Antonio and Noah having a part in it just makes it that much more special as a coach. We are really proud as parents and really proud as a coaching staff with their development.” 

By Quarter:
Bensalem:  10  |  13  |  16  |  10  ||  49
Pennsbury: 13  |   8   |  16  |   9   ||  46

Scoring:
Bensalem: Gonzalez 18, A. Morris 16, Moffitt 11, White 2, Wineburg 2

Pennsbury: Taddei 16, Kocak 11, Roccograndi 7, Mangan 6, Zuckerman 2 pts