As a freshman at Mount Saint Joseph, Darryl Morsell was indoctrinated early on to the role of defensive stopper. At practice every day, Morsell had to guard three older teammates headed to play major college basketball.
The three — Phil Booth Jr., Jaylen Adams and Kam Williams — were all seniors during Morsell’s first high school season. It helped Morsell develop a reputation for being a tough-minded, physical defender.
It was something Duane Morsell had been preaching to his son for years.
“When I was little, I used to play up [in age], I used to shoot the ball all the time,” Morsell recalled after a practice earlier this month.