St. Joe’s Prep moved Speedy Morris’ name from the court to the sideline. His family and supporters are upset.

Keith Morris, son of legendary basketball coach William “Speedy” Morris, says he won’t soon forget the look on his father’s face.

Earlier this month, Speedy Morris, the winningest coach in Catholic League basketball history, was told about the recently updated court at St. Joseph’s Prep.

Morris, whose name resides in double-digit halls of fame, coached for 19 years at the Prep, where he breathed life into the program, amassed the most wins in school history, won back-to-back league championships, and had his name placed on its court before Parkinson’s disease forced him to retire following the 2019-20 season.

On the new court, however, Morris’ name was moved to the sideline, causing disappointment, confusion, and unrest among the Morris family, his former players, and alumni of the school.

“It’s basically on the sideline where the bench will be,” Keith Morris said in a phone interview, “so everything from the coaches walking up and down, to towels, and water bottles [will cover it], and you just won’t see it.”

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“My father is disappointed,” he added. “He’s a little hurt, to be honest with you.”

Keith Morris, who was an assistant coach at the Prep during his father’s tenure, says his dad embodied a popular motto at the school: “Men for and with others.”

He added that his father’s impact went beyond basketball and included fundraising for the school, attending and participating in various school events, and ultimately helping boys become men.

“Just feel like he’s been disrespected,” said Keith, 53. “He’s 81 now. The twilight years are here and it’s a slap in the face. When I saw the look on his face when he found out, the disappointment; I was kind of just like, you know what, I can’t let this go.’”

In a statement to The Inquirer on Tuesday, the Prep said it honored Morris in 2020 ahead of his final regular-season home game “in gratitude for all that he has meant to the Philadelphia basketball community and to the Prep.”

Pre- and postgame celebrations marked the occasion as the Hawks hosted Morris’ alma mater, Roman Catholic. A sticker bearing his name was placed near half court, where it remained until the recent updates.

Keith Morris, a 1988 graduate of Penn Charter, says he has been contacted by several dismayed members of the school’s alumni, including board members and donors.

His cousin, John Coppinger, also started a Facebook group named “Put Speedy’s name back on the court at the Prep,” which has almost 500 members.

Reached by phone, Coppinger, a 1987 graduate of the Prep, referenced other area high schools such as Father Judge, Lansdale Catholic, and Chester, which have honored or plan to honor prominent coaches in their programs’ histories by displaying their names near half court.

Some members of the Facebook group posted that they had written or called the school to express their frustration but received no response.

“Having [his name] on the court while kids go up and down playing the game, I think is an honor,” Coppinger said. “Having his name covered up near the bench is a smack in the face.

“If you look at basketball games in college, those names are always [prominent] on the court. It’s not on the sidelines underneath a bench. I don’t get it.”

Some of Morris’ former players share that confusion.

“If you probably won’t see [the name] during games,” said Prep graduate Reggie Redding via phone, “then what’s the point of it being there?”

Mo Howard, who starred at Maryland and was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1976, said he played one year for Morris at Roman before transferring to the Prep.

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“I don’t just respect Coach,” Howard said on the phone, “I revere Coach. And to see something like this happen, the way that it’s happening, I just want to know: Why?”

“In all my years around basketball,” continued Howard, the father of Villanova assistant coach Ashley Howard, a former PCL standout at Monsignor Bonner, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Reached by phone, Bucknell men’s basketball coach John Griffin III, who won PCL crowns at the Prep in 2003 and 2004, said Morris’ impact at the Prep on and off the court was “immeasurable.” His father, John Jr., won titles under Morris at Roman in 1973 and ‘74. His younger brother Matt also played for Morris at the Prep before twice leading Roman to PCL titles as head coach in 2018 and ‘19.

Griffin III said he is proud to be associated with his alma mater, but expressed disappointment in the current situation.

Redding, now entering his third year as a player development coach with the 76ers, echoed similar sentiments.

Redding said he assumed the school had good intentions, but wished communication between the Prep and the Morris family had occurred before Morris’ name was moved.

“I just think if someone changes the culture and changes the way people look at your program and your school, especially someone who put in almost 20 years, you should handle things a certain way,” he said. “You do it the right way.”

Former Penn standout Mark Zoller, who graduated from the Prep in 2003 — the year Morris led the Hawks to their first PCL crown since 1971 — said typically names are placed near half court as a show of respect.

“I absolutely love the Prep and everything it has done for me and the brotherhood that I have there,” Zoller said by phone. “But I do feel that in this instance we need to act as men for others. Someone that has meant so much to the school, the basketball program, the community, and the city should have the due respect … as a legend at St. Joe’s Prep to have their name on the court.”

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In its statement to The Inquirer, the Prep said it placed the “temporary sticker” on the court “as a tribute” during Morris’ final regular-season home game.

“When the court was redone this past summer,” the statement continues, “that sticker was removed and his name was permanently placed in the home coaching box where he stood for 19 years and where each coach who follows will walk in his footsteps. We feel this is an appropriate tribute for his work at the school, not only on the court but off as well as a member of our community. Coach Morris is the only coach in school history to be honored in this way. We are happy to memorialize him and honor his legacy.”

A banner commemorating Morris also still hangs above the court.

Morris finished his career with 1,035 total victories while coaching La Salle University’s men’s and women’s teams plus boys’ high school basketball at the Prep, Penn Charter, and Roman Catholic, which also displays Morris’ name on its home court.

Morris also won championships at each stop: eight PCL crowns (Roman six, the Prep two), an Inter-Ac title, and six conference titles coaching La Salle’s men’s (four) and women’s teams (two).

He is also on the ballot to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.