Former standout LSU basketball player Alexis Morris is coming back to Baton Rouge to play some basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters at 5 p.m. Sunday in the Raising Canes River Center. 

And how does it feel for Morris to be back in Louisiana?

“Home sweet home. There’s no sweeter feeling than being back in the great state of Louisiana,” she said Friday night after a Globetrotter show in Hammond. “Literally — the crowd, the fans, the support. I’m overwhelmed.”

She’s not only excited about being back in Baton Rouge; she’s also excited about seeing her mother, Sharonne Morris, for the first time in eight months. Better yet, her mom is bringing home cooking.

Morris says the Sunday exhibition will be the first time her mom has seen her as a Globetrotter. 

“She’s bringing me stuffed bell peppers, pig feet, mac and cheese and chitterlings,” Morris said. “It’s been so long since I’ve had her food. There’s nothing like your mom’s cooking — nothing. I know everybody’s like, ‘How is that little bitty body going to eat all of this?’ Trust me, I’m going to make it work. My stomach is going to stretch from my mother’s cooking.”

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The Globetrotter way

Morris joined the 98-year-old Harlem Globetrotters organization in February as its seventh female player.

She appreciates the organization’s mission to break barriers and its focus on acts of goodwill.

Plus, she is pleased with the emphasis the Globetrotters are placing on including women. 

“What does that say? That speaks to the inclusion here with the Harlem Globetrotters. They’re becoming more diverse,” Morris said. “When most people were growing up, there were no female Harlem Globetrotters.”

For people of a certain generation, the Harlem Globetrotters represent extreme showmanship and fun.

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Morris says the organization’s spirit hasn’t changed. It is still dedicated to putting on a great show and to making a difference in the world. Morris likes the focus on making the world a better place.

“It’s bigger than me, it’s bigger than the Harlem Globetrotters. It’s about changing lives every day and impacting the world in a positive way,” she said. “There’s so much wrong going on in the world today that we can focus on.”

Instead, the Globetrotters emphasize the goal of focusing on the positive.

That “glass half full” perspective works well for where Morris is in her life and development. The 24-year-old athlete who loved to lead the Tiger Band after a win in the PMAC is still up for the fun basketball has to offer. 

Just ask her what her favorite part of the Globetrotters show is.

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“My part!” she said with a laugh. “For real though, I think my favorite part of the show is the whole show within itself. We have great energy. We have veterans who are great at what they do. Some of these people here amaze me. I’m like, ‘Wow, I aspire to be like you all one day.’”

‘Show shape’

Even though she’s not playing 40 minutes of NCAA basketball, being a Globetrotter still requires Morris to be in shape. But she says it’s a different kind of shape: “Show shape.”

“We come out here every night to put on an amazing show for the fans, the families, and our goal is to ultimately change people’s perspectives and create millions of smiles,” she said. 

Louisiana fans still tug at Morris’ heart. Being back in the Bayou State has given her a chance to reflect on all that she and the LSU team accomplished last year in winning the national championship.

‘Nothing but grateful’

The past year has been a whirlwind that has offered plenty of learning opportunities and growth.

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“I can’t be nothing but grateful. I have nothing but I have a great sense of gratitude for the state of Louisiana — not just Baton Rouge, but the whole state of Louisiana,” she said. “I’m happy that we were able to make history here and that we are able to be a part of the history books in Louisiana.”

In April 2023, Morris was drafted into the WBNA in the second round shortly after leading the Tigers to a national championship.

She was cut from the Connecticut Sun about a month later and then played for a while in France before joining the Globetrotters. 

“I’ve grown. I’m not the same person I was last year,” she said, referring to the frenzy from winning the national championship as an LSU Tiger. 

That said, there are ways she says she hasn’t changed. 

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“My discipline and my habits don’t change. I get to the gym early, still work on my game. I still get shots up. It’s not the same as playing competitively because of the show,” she said. “But, it’s still competitive in a way. It’s all a mindset too. So for me, everything’s, everything’s competitive.”

Morris says she continues to work on being coachable and learning the Harlem Globetrotter way.

Looking back at her time at LSU, the run up to the Final Four and the team’s eventual win, Morris says she realizes the importance of living in the moment.

“Enjoy the moment, because moments don’t last forever. You can always relive the memories, but you can’t relive the moment,” she said. “In that moment (winning the national championship), I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t focusing on the accomplishment or the impact we had just made.”

WNBA dreams

She admits that she still wants to play in the WNBA but realizes she won’t do it within the coming year.

“It might not even be next year,” she said. “And this is why I say, ‘God’s time and not mine.’ I’m still doing what I love to do — and that’s ultimately, that’s how I stay grounded in my purpose, in my dreams.”

Tickets to Sunday’s game are still available here and start at $30.