Arizona Wildcats head coach Becky Burke posted several teases over the past two days. A comment about a “big dog” visiting, a partial view of a video shoot, and a post of a McDonald’s gif. Was it a current or past McDonald’s All-American visiting Arizona?
The truth is known. Former California guard Aliyahna ‘Puff’ Morris announced her commitment to Arizona Friday evening. Morris was a 2025 McDonald’s All-American.
The sophomore-to-be has some ties to Arizona. She played high school ball for Etiwanda
High, which will also send freshman Arynn Finley to Tucson next season. Like Sumayah Sugapong, Arizona’s only rising senior, Morris also has Filipino heritage. Her representation of the community has been a big part of her basketball journey.
The 5-foot-5 Morris averaged 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists per game during her senior year of high school. She was named the Cal-Hi Sports State Player of the Year for the fourth straight year as well as being a McDonald’s All-American and a MaxPreps First Team All-American.
She was ranked No. 22 nationally by ESPN and given a grade of 96. She was tagged a five-star player by the service.
247sports ranked her No. 25 and gave her four stars in its internal rankings, although it also gave her a grade of 96. She was ranked as the No. 5 point guard in the country and the No. 3 player in California. 247’s composite rankings had her as a five-star prospect and the No. 25 player nationally.
on3.com rated Morris as a four-star recruit and ranked her No. 27 in the country. That service had her as the No. 7 point guard and the No. 3 player in California.
Prospect Nation ranked Morris No. 30 overall and the 12th-best guard.
247sports national scout Brandon Clay wrote
Morris plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played at the lead guard position. She is a significant option for pushing the tempo in transition. Morris is a willing defender and makes life difficult for opposing guards in that aspect. She can change a game with her energy and willingness to drive into the lane off the bounce. Her ability to impact the game in this way is unique given her smaller physical stature.
Morris was a significant contributor for the Golden Bears her freshman season. She appeared in 26 games with 18 starts and played 24.3 minutes per game, however she suffered an injury that kept her out from the beginning of January through early February. When she returned, she made four spot starts but mostly came off the bench.
She averaged 7.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists against 2.0 turnovers, and 0.7 steals. She only racked up 1.6 fouls per game and 3.0 fouls per 40 minutes. For a team which had guards who were whistled a lot, that is important for Arizona.
Morris does have areas she needs to improve on. She shot just 31.9 percent from 3-point distance while attempting 4.6 outside shots per game. She also hit just 56.4 percent of her free throws.
She will help Arizona replace the production of former Wildcat Lani Cornfield, which is something Burke said she needed to do this offseason. Like Cornfield, Morris is a smaller guard who has a reputation for being a good defender with speed.
