Playing at a higher level
11/5/2020 12:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Gold Rush
Dad’s encouragement put Christina Morra on path to basketball success, which she has embraced into becoming a more complete player
When Christina Morra first started playing basketball as an 8-year-old in a House League, she didn't want to dribble. She froze, held the ball above her head and stood motionless until her father, Giovanni, who was also her coach, yelled for her to "score."
That's when she finally dribbled, took the ball to the basket, and indeed put the ball in the basket. It's also when she learned she could play the game well.
Today, she feels a particular responsibility to play to the best of her ability to represent Wake Forest and her home country of Canada.
"I didn't really know what to do, but that's when I found out I could actually dribble, could score, and it got me started," Morra said. "My mom and dad were supportive every step of the way and drove me to practices and encouraged me to keep going, and I fell in love with the game."
Jen Hoover, the Deacons' head coach, first saw Morra in a tournament in the U.S., liked what she observed and reached out.
"I went up to see her play several times, and we were able to establish a great relationship with her right off the bat," Hoover said. "She was intrigued by playing in the ACC all along, and she is a high academic kid as well, so I think when she came down on her visit, she fell in love with the campus, our staff, the community and the connectedness you have here. She was the No. 1-ranked recruit in Canada the year we got her, and she has played on the younger national teams. So she got a lot of attention up there."
As a freshman, Morra played in 21 games and averaged 3.5 points and 10.4 minutes per game. She had two double-digit scoring performances, both against ACC opponents (Notre Dame and Florida State).
"Her freshman year we were so excited to have her, and she was adjusting to the different style of basketball and everything else, and then she got an illness that wiped out about 10 games of her freshman year, and that's why she only played in 21 games," Hoover said.
In Morra's sophomore season, she played in all 32 games, with 19 starts. She averaged 8.7 points in 21.7 minutes per game. She had 14 double-digit scoring outings and three double-digit rebounding games. Her first career double-double came in a win over College of Charleston (13 points and 10 rebounds), and she had a then career-high 13 rebounds with 13 points against No. 7 Louisville. She set a new career-high in scoring with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a first-round win over North Carolina in the 2020 ACC Tournament.
"Last year, she got more comfortable and came into her own, and we started to see the benefits we thought we were going to see near the end of her freshman year," Hoover said. "There was a different confidence about her after adjusting to playing in the ACC. She went from averaging three and a half points her freshman year to almost nine. If we had had a few more games, I think she would have averaged double-digit scoring."
Morra won the Silver medal with the Canadian U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas tournament and was named to the All-Star five group. During that tournament, she was the tournament leader in efficiency, rebounds, double-doubles and averaged 14.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Morra was a member of Team Ontario at each of the last three Canadian Basketball Championships. She helped her team win Gold in 2015 and 2016 on the U15 and U17 teams while helping the 2017 U17 team finish runner-up.
"The two years I played on the Canadian team – playing internationally – gave me an edge at Wake Forest because international basketball is different from American basketball," Morra said. "Having a different mentality and IQ when it comes to basketball helps me understand positioning when guards drive, and they're a lot of little things like that that give me an edge. I take pride in the way I play because I am representing my country, and few people have the opportunity to do that. I understand the gravity behind that. It's a responsibility, it's pride, and it motivates me."
Hoover said that Morra has a lot to offer to the Wake Forest program.
"Morra is really good with her back to the basket and likes the physical part of the game," Hoover said. "She is working on expanding her game out to the 3-point line, and she is a good passer out of the post. She's just a great teammate, as humble as they come, and she wants to do what it takes for the team to win."
During the COVID-19 pandemic's uncertainty, Morra used the time to work out on her own using an app, the equipment she had at home and a program developed by the Director of Sports Performance for Women's Basketball Jena Ready. She also went on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate pescatarian diet.
"I had a goal to feel better about myself physically and mentally, so I felt a good goal was to understand what I was eating," Morra said. "I used Jena's workout plan and grasped how to fuel my body. I worked out a lot at home and lost 20 to 25 pounds. That helped me become quicker and keep up with the guards better. I have more options and can use my shot now, so it's been beneficial."
Hoover likes what she has seen this fall.
"She has come back almost a different kid," she said. "Since the whole COVID thing, she was intentional and committed to the workout she was doing. With the limitations, she took them and made the best out of them. She is really in the best shape of her life. She is leaner and has a little more bounce than in the past, and her body has changed. She's confident and playing like you'd expect an upperclassman to play. I think she has done what she's done to be more thought of as a complete athlete, so she's excited."
Morra said that her No. 1 goal is to play on Team Canada in the Olympics.
"I've played on the junior team, and I'd need to jump up one step to the senior team, but they have contacted me to say they are looking at me for future years," she said. "My second goal after college is to play professional basketball in Italy. My dad is half-Italian and has a dual passport with Italy, and I can use that to play professionally in Italy. Plus, I just love Italy."
That's when she finally dribbled, took the ball to the basket, and indeed put the ball in the basket. It's also when she learned she could play the game well.
Today, she feels a particular responsibility to play to the best of her ability to represent Wake Forest and her home country of Canada.
"I didn't really know what to do, but that's when I found out I could actually dribble, could score, and it got me started," Morra said. "My mom and dad were supportive every step of the way and drove me to practices and encouraged me to keep going, and I fell in love with the game."
Jen Hoover, the Deacons' head coach, first saw Morra in a tournament in the U.S., liked what she observed and reached out.
"I went up to see her play several times, and we were able to establish a great relationship with her right off the bat," Hoover said. "She was intrigued by playing in the ACC all along, and she is a high academic kid as well, so I think when she came down on her visit, she fell in love with the campus, our staff, the community and the connectedness you have here. She was the No. 1-ranked recruit in Canada the year we got her, and she has played on the younger national teams. So she got a lot of attention up there."
As a freshman, Morra played in 21 games and averaged 3.5 points and 10.4 minutes per game. She had two double-digit scoring performances, both against ACC opponents (Notre Dame and Florida State).
"Her freshman year we were so excited to have her, and she was adjusting to the different style of basketball and everything else, and then she got an illness that wiped out about 10 games of her freshman year, and that's why she only played in 21 games," Hoover said.
In Morra's sophomore season, she played in all 32 games, with 19 starts. She averaged 8.7 points in 21.7 minutes per game. She had 14 double-digit scoring outings and three double-digit rebounding games. Her first career double-double came in a win over College of Charleston (13 points and 10 rebounds), and she had a then career-high 13 rebounds with 13 points against No. 7 Louisville. She set a new career-high in scoring with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a first-round win over North Carolina in the 2020 ACC Tournament.
"Last year, she got more comfortable and came into her own, and we started to see the benefits we thought we were going to see near the end of her freshman year," Hoover said. "There was a different confidence about her after adjusting to playing in the ACC. She went from averaging three and a half points her freshman year to almost nine. If we had had a few more games, I think she would have averaged double-digit scoring."
Morra won the Silver medal with the Canadian U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas tournament and was named to the All-Star five group. During that tournament, she was the tournament leader in efficiency, rebounds, double-doubles and averaged 14.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Morra was a member of Team Ontario at each of the last three Canadian Basketball Championships. She helped her team win Gold in 2015 and 2016 on the U15 and U17 teams while helping the 2017 U17 team finish runner-up.
"The two years I played on the Canadian team – playing internationally – gave me an edge at Wake Forest because international basketball is different from American basketball," Morra said. "Having a different mentality and IQ when it comes to basketball helps me understand positioning when guards drive, and they're a lot of little things like that that give me an edge. I take pride in the way I play because I am representing my country, and few people have the opportunity to do that. I understand the gravity behind that. It's a responsibility, it's pride, and it motivates me."
Hoover said that Morra has a lot to offer to the Wake Forest program.
"Morra is really good with her back to the basket and likes the physical part of the game," Hoover said. "She is working on expanding her game out to the 3-point line, and she is a good passer out of the post. She's just a great teammate, as humble as they come, and she wants to do what it takes for the team to win."
During the COVID-19 pandemic's uncertainty, Morra used the time to work out on her own using an app, the equipment she had at home and a program developed by the Director of Sports Performance for Women's Basketball Jena Ready. She also went on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate pescatarian diet.
"I had a goal to feel better about myself physically and mentally, so I felt a good goal was to understand what I was eating," Morra said. "I used Jena's workout plan and grasped how to fuel my body. I worked out a lot at home and lost 20 to 25 pounds. That helped me become quicker and keep up with the guards better. I have more options and can use my shot now, so it's been beneficial."
Hoover likes what she has seen this fall.
"She has come back almost a different kid," she said. "Since the whole COVID thing, she was intentional and committed to the workout she was doing. With the limitations, she took them and made the best out of them. She is really in the best shape of her life. She is leaner and has a little more bounce than in the past, and her body has changed. She's confident and playing like you'd expect an upperclassman to play. I think she has done what she's done to be more thought of as a complete athlete, so she's excited."
Morra said that her No. 1 goal is to play on Team Canada in the Olympics.
"I've played on the junior team, and I'd need to jump up one step to the senior team, but they have contacted me to say they are looking at me for future years," she said. "My second goal after college is to play professional basketball in Italy. My dad is half-Italian and has a dual passport with Italy, and I can use that to play professionally in Italy. Plus, I just love Italy."
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