Rutgers center will transfer to Norfolk State

The Norfolk State men's basketball team, mired in a school-record 10-game losing streak, just got a huge boost.

Make that a huge beast.

Christian "Beast" Morris, a 6-foot-9, 290-pound freshman center from The Bronx, N.Y., has left Rutgers and will transfer to Norfolk State, beginning classes there in two weeks.

Morris picked Norfolk State after considering Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, Rhode Island and South Carolina.

"I know it's going to be a long 12 months before I can play for Norfolk State, but I'm looking forward to working out with the team and staying in shape," Morris said. "I believe we can win a conference title there and go to the NCAAs."

Morris' playing time in five games for Rutgers was limited to nine minutes, and he had scored one point.

Playing behind junior center Hamady N'Diaye and freshman forward Gregory Echenique, Morris feared limited playing time down the road. Morris will be eligible to play for the Spartans following the 2009 fall semester.

Morris broke two backboards in the same summer before his junior year of high school. Some publications had him as a top 100 recruit coming out of high school.