[Stardust]

Mike Fields - Herald-Leader Staff Writer Rowan County basketball player Leavitt Morrison isn't among the state leaders in points, rebounds or shooting percentage, but he is No. 1 in one category: scoring on the ACT. He aced the college entry test with a 36.

Morrison took the ACT as a junior and got a 34. He hadn't planned on taking it again, but some of the colleges he's interested in required him to take a written portion of the test. So he took the entire ACT again last fall. "I definitely didn't think I'd get a perfect score," he said.

While that 36 is an impressive number, Morrison is just as proud of his numbers on the basketball court. He's averaging 18 points and eight rebounds after getting little playing time last season

http://www.kentucky.com/289/story/693469.html

It was really tough last year watching everyone around me play a lot," he said. "Things started coming together after the season was over. I'd spend a couple hours after school every day shooting around in the gym and lifting weights. That's when things started clicking."

Rowan County first-year coach Shawn Thacker said the 6-foot-5 Morrison made himself into a player. "He put in the time in the gym and the weight room. It was a learning process for him, and still is. But he's really blossomed late in his high school career and should get a chance to play college basketball."

Centre, Transylvania, De Pauw and Caltech have shown interest, and Thacker plans to send tapes of Morrison to some Ivy League schools.

"I really love basketball," Morrison said. "It didn't come easy for me like a lot of things in the classroom.

"There's a lot more pressure on the basketball court than reading a book or taking a test. On the court, somebody is actually going against you, trying to stop you. That makes it more of a challenge."
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