Prospect Spotlight: Max Morelli (2020 Life Christian HS)

<p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/max-morelli/">Max Morelli</a></strong> has settled in. The lanky 6-foot-4, 165-pound wing/forward made the move to Life Christian for his final season of high school basketball and he couldn't be happier. Morelli is getting an opportunity to play his game, help the Lions be one of the top teams in the state, and hopefully garner the attention of college coaches to compete at the next level.</p> <p>"It's been a great experience going from 6A to 1A, seeing how both levels play," Morelli said. "Obviously there's noise saying it's just 1A, it's just this and that, but honestly I haven't felt that at all. I think it's been great."</p> <p>Morelli - who was at Tigard last season - went into a little more detail how the shift to Life Christian has helped him overall. "It's taught me to be a more vocal leader in practice and lead by example to everyone," Morelli said. "I've learned to be more of a contributor and I've learned to play a full game. I think I've been letting the game come to me."</p> <p>In a blowout win on Monday night over North Clackamas Christian, Morelli was dominant on the offensive end. Using his length and athleticism to finish around the basket, he notched 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting - all while operating within the framework of the Life Christian offense.</p> <p>"I've been shooting a pretty high percentage and I haven't had to go out there and iso or anything," Morelli said. "We've been able to run offense and I've been able to get my points, defense to offense, rebounding and running - all that."</p> <p>Morelli is a high-academic student (3.4 GPA, 21 ACT) who is hoping to major in sports marketing or business. He is hopeful he will get the opportunity to play at the college level. He notes that he's been in contact with D-III Northwest Conference schools in the area such as Linfield, George Fox, and Lewis &amp; Clark and has also talked with Multnomah. As interest builds, he's keeping his options open.</p> <p>"I'm hoping for good things," Morelli said. "I'm just trying to stay in contact with as many coaches as possible, getting through the end of my senior season and through the spring and summer."</p> <p>A trip to Baker City for the Lions for the 1A state tournament will certainly help in Morelli's cause as there will no doubt be some college coaches there to watch the action. There are still games left to be played and the senior is looking forward to finishing strong.</p> <p>"Everyone knows their roles and all year no one's played individually - we're all here to win," Morelli said. "We all want to do something special and leave the younger guys a legacy to keep going on. We don't want it to be one year thing. I think we're capable of great things. We've just got to keep building and getting tougher."</p> <p>Morelli currently ranks as the #74 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2020 rankings.</p>