Kentucky players relieved Morris saga is over

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) Kentucky guard Rajon Rondo acknowledges he welcomed center Randolph Morris back with open arms, but Friday he made one thing clear: Those arms didn&#39;t close around Morris in an embrace.<br> <br> ``I didn&#39;t hug him at all,&#39;&#39; Rondo said.<br> <br> A day earlier, Morris whose season-long suspension was cut to a half-season by the NCAA depicted Rondo of doing just that.<br> <br> ``Rajon was the first to hear about it,&#39;&#39; said Morris, a 6-foot-10 sophomore. ``He came and gave me a big hug.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Hug-gate not withstanding, there was an upbeat mood Friday among the Wildcat players, who face archrival No. 4 Louisville Saturday. Concerning Morris, the mood was relief that the saga had finally concluded. Even better was the fact it concluded in their favor.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re glad to have him back, glad it&#39;s out of the way,&#39;&#39; senior guard Patrick Sparks said. ``We can move on now.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Morris&#39; collegiate career was jeopardized as a result of his attempt to enter the NBA draft after his freshman year. He went undrafted, but an NCAA committee ruled earlier this month that Morris had a relationship with sports agency SFX and declared him ineligible for the 2005-06 season.<br> <br> But Thursday, the NCAA softened the penalty to 14 games, citing new information including a fax Morris sent to Kentucky coach Tubby Smith on May 9 stating his intention to retain his collegiate eligibility.<br> <br> Under the new penalty, Morris will be eligible for the No. 23 Wildcats&#39; Jan. 10 Southeastern Conference opener at home against Vanderbilt.<br> <br> ``Nobody really like jumped up and down and did any back flips or anything,&#39;&#39; said junior forward Rekalin Sims, who has often been used as a center in Morris&#39; absence. ``Me personally, I&#39;m just pretty excited to have him back, just to know we&#39;re going to have more of a power presence in the post.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Although many Kentucky fans have viewed Morris as a savior to a team that has gone south with upset losses against North Carolina and Indiana, the players always insisted they could win with him or without him.<br> <br> ``We just wanted to play like he wasn&#39;t coming back,&#39;&#39; Sims said.<br> <br> After the NCAA&#39;s ruling came down, Morris apologized to Smith and his teammates in his first public comments since the saga began. He also said he intends to play four seasons for the Wildcats.<br> <br> ``In exploring my NBA options, I made poor choices,&#39;&#39; Morris said. ``Those choices included accepting bad advice while putting distance between me and my coaches and teammates at UK. I take full responsibility for those actions.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Last year, Morris started 33 of 34 games, averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Kentucky (6-3) has struggled in rebounding and inside scoring without him.<br> <br> ``We can stop having to worry and answer questions,&#39;&#39; sophomore guard Ramel Bradley said. ``It&#39;s out there. Everybody knows Randolph is coming back in January. It&#39;s over with.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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