Kevin Llewallyn
The first time I met Jordan Morris in the gym lobby at Chattanooga Arts and Sciences, we introduced ourselves and I asked where we might could go that was quiet so we could talk. As we were walking towards one of the coach’s offices, Jordan asked me casually, “So how was your day?”
We leaned back in a couple of comfortable rolling chairs in that office just outside of the gym Jordan called home and talked about sports and life and the future.
And as we talked, with the buzzer occasionally sounding during the girls’ practice in the background, Jordan’s infectious smile and the respectful, yet laid-back way with which he spoke made it clear to me that my first encounter wasn’t an act; it was exactly who Jordan Morris is.
Jordan is a 5’11” senior basketball and baseball standout for the Patriots. His time at Arts and Sciences, which began in Kindergarten, is barely predated by his love for both sports.
“I think I was around four years old when I remember watching my brother play Upward for the YMCA. I remember watching him and thinking, 'Hey, that's cool, I want to do that, too',” said Jordan, whose brother is two years older than him. “It was around that same time that I started playing baseball, too. He and I would go in the yard and throw the rock, and I played on his baseball team. They gave me the award for having the greatest potential; I feel like I was pretty good for my age.”
Raised by his mother and grandmother, Jordan’s smile got even wider when he talked about how they used to take him to Braves and Lookouts games when he was a kid. It was those experiences, he admitted, that made him fall in love with the game of baseball.
“Baseball is really the sport that has my heart,” said Jordan, who plays shortstop and center field. "I grew up playing with my brother and all my friends, and I think I'm a little better at baseball. My favorite team is the Atlanta Braves from when my mom used to take me to games. I just love the sport and everything about it."
Jordan is the de facto leader of a young Patriots’ basketball team, and said he takes pride in his strength as the general on the court and the field. He also finds it an honor to wear "Arts and Sciences" across his chest on the court, saying it means more to play for the school he's spent his entire life around. As the team’s only returning player that played only on the varsity team, he’s been asked to do a little bit of everything by Coach Mark Dragoo.
“Jordan, for us, is a leader. He’s our best overall player right now," Dragoo said. "He’s gone from wing to point guard to post because we ask him to. He didn’t really want to play point guard last year or this year, but he did because we needed him to. He’s a great passer and works really hard.”
Jordan’s ability and willingness to play whatever role is needed and to put the team above himself is possibly rooted in what he said could be conceived as a negative experience from his early days playing the game.
“Something that I think affected my game and made me more of a passer was that I was so much better than the kids my age that I would score a lot of points,” said Jordan. “I would hear the parents yell for me to pass the ball and that I was being selfish, and that hit me on a personal level because I didn't think I was being selfish and I didn't want to be. So I think that caused me to become more of a pass-first player where I don't worry about scoring as much, so it was a good and bad thing.”
While the majority of challenges Jordan had faced growing up came as he excelled on the court or the field, he had no idea what challenge awaited him in November of 2017.
“I remember it was just after my birthday (on October 30) and Halloween," recounted Jordan. "It was hard for me to look at the scoreboard because I had blurred vision; I couldn't get any sleep at night because every hour I had to go to the bathroom and get water because I was constantly thirsty. The same thing happened in the classroom, and I didn't want to use my passes so I just sat there and tried to hold it."
"We were on our way back from a basketball tournament in North Tennessee, and I used the bathroom before we left. I had to stop and go again midway through the ride, and my mom asked me 'Didn't I tell you to use the bathroom before we left?' I told her that I did, but she didn't believe me. It's kind of funny when I look back on it because she had no idea that I had diabetes. Me and my grandmother always laugh about that."
When the conversation turned from sports to diabetes, I fully expected Jordan’s demeanor to change as well. To the contrary, Jordan’s smile and his confident voice never faltered.
“You just have to play the hand you’re dealt. I feel like everybody has something they have to deal with, and this is just mine.”
While the weeks surrounding the initial diagnosis were scary for Jordan, they were terrifying for his family, particularly his grandmother, Shirley Baker. She said she knew something was wrong because he had all the symptoms, and when they weighed him at home a month after his physical for school, he had lost over 20 pounds. That's when she suggested that he go to the doctor.
“We had the appointment for the endocrinologist, and when I got there to sign him in they told me that when Jordan got there just to take him straight on over to the emergency room," Baker said. "I just about lost it, and I was trying not to cry because I didn’t want to upset him or anything.”
We sat for the next few minutes and shared personal stories – I was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 19 years old. We talked about the insulin pumps that we wear, how it feels when our blood sugar gets too high or too low, and we laughed at the things people say to us any time we try to eat anything sweet.
“I’ve had friends take a cookie or some type of dessert away from me, or refuse to give me candy because ‘they don’t want me to die’,” Jordan said with chuckle and a sigh. "They don't understand that I can eat the same thing as everyone else, but I have to take insulin for it."
It’s easy to understand why many high school students don’t understand Type 1 diabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) only 0.0024% of the American population under the age of 20 have been diagnosed with the disease. That number, however, is expected to triple by the year 2050.
“I kinda felt embarrassed in the beginning, and I didn't want people to know when I came back to school. For breakfast and dinner I was around people I was comfortable with when I took my shot, but when I was at school I didn't want to take my shot around everybody because I didn't want them looking at me and judging me. Sometimes I think my blood sugar got really high because I didn't take my shot at all.”
The CDC defines Type 1 diabetes as an autoimmune reaction that destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Without insulin, blood sugar can’t get into the body’s cells, instead building up in the bloodstream, which is damaging to the body and can lead to many dangerous complications.
But while Jordan had difficulties managing the disease in the beginning, he and his doctor, along with his family as his support system, have gotten it firmly under control. Although, he did say that there have been some challenges and adjustments that have had to be made while playing sports.
“There have been a few times that my blood sugar level was extremely high, and that makes me feel tired, and everyone didn't want me to play. Then the next morning it was very low, which causes different problems. I've always said that my health comes first, but I love the game and want to be out there to help my team win.”
If you look at Jordan, you’d never know that there was anything different, other than the small cord that extends from his pants pocket and connects his insulin pump to a site on his stomach. Jordan joked that a lot of his friends call it his MP3 player.
Jordan isn’t just active in athletics; he also has a 4.0 GPA and a laundry list of clubs and activities that he’s involved with that made me tired simply listening to him list. Just that evening after practice, Jordan was off to the Chattanooga Ambassadors Program.
“I’m involved in that program, the Kappa League, Mayor's Youth Council, National Achiever's Society, Paideia Society, and the A.V. Club. I think it's always nice to be involved in different things because it gives you new experiences, and you never know what you don't like until you go out there and try it.”
Jordan graduates in a few short months, something he admitted both scared and excited him. He has narrowed his choices down to the University of Tennessee and Georgia Tech because they both have the academic program that he wants to study: Aerospace Engineering.
“I know everyone says they can't wait to graduate and get out of here and start over somewhere else, but it brings sadness to me as well. I've been here for 13 years, and there's some friends that I've known all that time. I know for a fact that I won't see some of these people again. I'm excited about college, though, and starting a new chapter in my life."
“Jordan is a straight-A student and he’s adapted to something with his diabetes that nobody else has had to," praised Dragoo. "He’s overcome that challenge already, so being able to see how he can work through that shows me that he’ll be successful in life. He’s very well-mannered, been raised by his mother and grandmother, and they’ve done a great job.”
When I listened to the confidence Jordan exuded during our conversation, and saw the courage he showed in facing such a life-altering challenge with a positive disposition, I couldn’t help but agree with his coach.
As we stood up to leave so that Jordan could get ready for the afternoon’s practice, he thanked me multiple times for coming out to interview him. He gave me a firm hand shake – I should have expected no less – and as we exited I laughed to myself and thought, I should be the one thanking him.
(Contact Kevin Llewallyn at kevin.llewallyn@gmail.com)