Former Kansas men’s basketball player Arterio Morris, who is currently facing a rape charge, has enrolled at Garden City Community College, the school’s athletic director Mike Pilosof wrote in an email to the Journal-World Wednesday evening.
Pilosof did not confirm whether Morris will play for Garden City’s basketball team, writing that “because this is an ongoing legal matter, we can’t comment any further.”
Morris transferred to KU in the offseason after spending his freshman year at the University of Texas. He was with the Jayhawks’ program through the summer and played during its exhibition trip to Puerto Rico.
When he signed with KU, Morris had a pending Class A misdemeanor assault charge in Denton County, Texas, dating back to a June 2022 altercation with an ex-girlfriend. Head coach Bill Self recently characterized KU’s initial signing of Morris as “obviously well-vetted.”
Morris’ Texas case ended on Sept. 14 when he pleaded no contest to a less severe Class C misdemeanor and the state abandoned its finding of family violence, which in Texas can apply to dating relationships.
The following day, on Sept. 15, KU Athletics announced Morris’ suspension from the program as news broke of a rape allegation at McCarthy Hall from several weeks earlier. Then, on Sept. 29, Morris was officially charged with rape and dismissed from the team.
On Wednesday, hours after the release of the affidavit in Morris’ rape case, the X account for junior college basketball recruiting site JucoRecruiting.com posted that Morris “has signed with/enrolled at Garden City CC for the 23-24 season.”
Morris is not listed on the Broncbusters’ 2023-24 roster. The team, which plays in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, is coached by Rusty Elmore and went 21-9 last season. It has already begun exhibition play but opens its season Nov. 1.