Waterford’s 6-foot-10 Juan Morel has blossomed as a senior
“His confidence is so much better than what it used to be, and he's not affected by the little things anymore. He's still growing, but he's become a great leader for this team.''
WATERFORD COACH BILL BASSETT
— Naturally gifted with a 6-foot-10 frame and electric athleticism, Waterford High School senior center Juan Morel is finally hitting his stride. After an All-Eastern Connecticut Conference season with the Lancers, Morel is making his case to be a dominant big man.
“I’ve always known what I’m capable of on the court but my confidence wasn’t always there so I wasn’t really taking advantage,” Morel said. “Sure, I’ve grown and gotten stronger and all that, but the biggest thing for me was not letting the little things get to me and focusing on the main goal which is winning.”
After being cut from the basketball team during his freshman year of high school due to poor grades, Morel realized that he had to take things seriously if he wanted to make something of himself during this new chapter.
At only 14, having to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic while assimilating to a new school took a toll on Morel, but he claims the hardships of his freshman year set the tone for the remainder of his high school career.
“That whole year (2020) was a blur to me. I had no motivation to do anything. I didn’t play any sports really, we only went to school two times a week, so I wasn’t doing any schoolwork; I just wasn’t being good about school at all. It all came around though. After getting cut that year I started taking basketball serious and once we were back in school my grades came around too.”
In that sophomore season, the first real organized basketball season of Morel’s career, he would learn a lot about the nuances of the game and what it meant to work like an athlete.
A moment that stood out among the rest of that year was a matchup with the soon-to-be NBA lottery pick, Donovan Clingan, then of Bristol Cen