2025-26 Winter Sports Preview: Mead senior Addison Wells Morrison makes name for herself under watchful eye of father, Spokane legend Adam Morrison

The name Morrison is synonymous with Spokane basketball. Adam Morrison enjoyed a record-setting high school career at Mead, helped lead Gonzaga to the national spotlight and was a two-time NBA champion and played internationally before returning to his hometown to become a respected analyst for the Zags.

But for the past three years, his daughter Addison has been ruling the courts of the Greater Spokane League and making a name for herself.

Entering her fourth year as a starter for the Panthers, the younger Morrison has received all-league honors each of the past two seasons. She has helped Mead reach the state tournament each of the past three seasons earning a second- and third-place trophy.

As she embarks on her senior year, Morrison is secure in the knowledge that she has already committed to University of Idaho to continue her education and basketball pursuits.

“It’s really nice to just know that I can put all my effort and energy this year into one program,” she said. “I’ll start my senior year knowing where I’m going and having that pressure relieved I can just go out and play, have fun, enjoy the moment with my teammates in this program.”

Mead coach Quantae Anderson has known Morrison since she was in grade school. He says the time has gone by like a blink of an eye.

“It’s crazy,” he said. “I was just telling her dad … it happened so fast. She used to come to our camp when she was in fourth, fifth grade, and now to see her and to be a senior – it just happens really quick.”

“I’m proud of the way she’s created her own path,” Adam Morrison said. “I always told her, ‘If you play hard and put in the time, good things will happen.’ “

Nature vs nurture

The first thing one notices about Addison on the floor is just how much her game resembles her dad’s. Mannerisms, movement – even his famous drop step – are all on display. It’s remarkable, really.

Some of it is intentional. Adam was Addison’s first coach, of course. But some of it is genetic.

“I think it’s a combo of both,” Adam said.

“Obviously, she’s putting a lot of time in in the gym by herself, and then, obviously, with me and then other trainers. You know, we have a similar gait and kind of how we move, but she’s definitely a better defensive and rebounding player than I ever was. And that’s not even like trying to be funny.”

“I’m definitely very lucky having my dad and who he is, and he’s helped me a lot with my game and it definitely has made me the player I am today,” Addison said. “I would say it’s probably 70-30 that his skills have definitely formed who I am, and then part of it is just trying to find who I want to be different and be my own player.”

Their relationship as “dad” and “coach” over the years has fluctuated over the years. But both agree that the basketball instruction element of the equation has waned and is more refinement than anything else as Addison enters her senior year.

“I feel like right now it’s a lot more of a father-daughter relationship moving into that next step,” Addison said. “I’m about to be in college, and that’s kind of like giving me my opportunity to, like, move into this new phase of life, and this new phase of basketball. When I was younger is definitely a little bit more of a coaching-slash-player relationship. But he was always a great father, and that part was never an issue.”

“Early on … it was more the coach’s hat,” Adam admitted. “There were certain things in her game that she had to get rid of, and it’s hard. Anybody that’s coached their kid understands it’s not fun sometimes. So it was more 70-30 (then) and then now it’s more 70-30 the opposite way, because she’s obviously created her own path.

“Now I kind of give her pointers, but now it’s more of just supportive and, you know, ‘Go play hard. You know what you’re doing,’ type of thing.”

“(Addison) has a savviness to her game that a lot of people aren’t used to,” Anderson said. “If they want to guard her with a big, she can go around them. If they put a guard on her, she can post them up. I think Idaho sees that, and I think that they see that she’s super dynamic.

“And, she’s probably our best passer.”

Carrying the name

Adam Morrison’s father, John Morrison, was a basketball coach, and the family moved between Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana before settling in Spokane with Adam was in fourth grade. He understands about living up to the family name.

“My dad used to always say, ‘I’m more nervous as a coach than when I played.’ I never understood it,” Adam said. “And then obviously you become a parent, and then a coach, you’re like – yeah, way more nervous as a coach. Because you prepare your kids and your team, but you don’t know what they’re going to do.”

He thinks Addison has done an exemplary job of handling the pressure that could have come from being the daughter of a Spokane legend.

“My dad has always told me to be my own person,” Addison said. “You won’t get opportunities based off just your last name. This is my experience, and what I put into it is what I get out of it. So he’s been very clear on that.”

“When she got a little bit older, it started to become a little bit more of a thing,” Adam said. “I told her, ‘Hey, once you get to about sixth or seventh grade, people are going to know who you are, and they’re going to target you on the floor, just because. If you’re not ready for that, that’s fine, but there’s nothing you can do about it. But to counter it, if you play hard, then you’ll be fine.’ ”

Adam rarely misses one of Addison’s games in town unless he’s on assignment covering the Zags. He tries to be as inconspicuous as possible out of respect for his daughter and the Mead program, often sitting as far away from the floor as he can.

“I like to kind of sit by myself, because just the way I watch the game, I might offend somebody when I’m not trying to, you know?” he said. “I’m not avoiding people. I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, why didn’t such and such pass it.’ It’s more of a respect thing for Addison. I don’t want to kind of be an opposing figure, I guess, sitting right behind the bench or whatever.”

“Every once in a while I’ll catch her eyes in the stands,” Anderson said. “He’s a parent, right?”

“I think (Adam) has been really respectful and understanding that, like – we have a program, and she’s not our only player on the team,” Anderson said. “But we do have some conversations about how she can be a better basketball player, or what is it that we want from her as a leader. There’s been nothing like ‘This is what I want my kid to do. My kid should be getting this many minutes or points a game,’ like with some parents.”

“My dad will vocalize some things, but it’s always from a place of respect and just like a suggestion,” Addison said. “I feel like Quantae takes what he’s saying, and will appreciate it, and like, see if it works for our team or our program.”

One last ride

Mead enters the 2025-26 season as one of the favorites in the always competitive GSL girls 4A/3A division. Last season, Central Valley won the State 3A title, the 32nd Greater Spokane League girls team in 48 years to play for a 4A or 3A state title – and the 19th to bring one back home.

The Panthers have had their opportunities the past few years, falling just short in the 3A title game – a 62-59 loss in Addison’s sophomore season – and taking third when she was a freshman. But they were unceremoniously ousted in the first round at the Tacoma Dome last year in the 4A bracket, and had to turn around and come right back home after one game.

While expectations are high for this season, a title opportunity won’t define Addison’s career.

“We’ve been so close,” she said. “It’s always the dream, and going into every season that’s kind of like our end goal, just as a team in general. And I think it’s something I’d greatly appreciate, but I don’t think it’s something I’d regret later in life. I’d rather put in my effort to have a good season, have good relationships and just put our best foot out there, whatever that means and however that means we finish.”

Anderson might feel the expectations – at least externally – more than the players.

“The last four years, we’ve been (to state) a lot. But people forget that, like, after we won in 2013, we didn’t go back until ’ 22,” he said. “But then, we just got some players that love basketball, Addi included. We had great athletes and some great teams, that would fight and fight and fight.

“Our goal is to bring home that state title. The 4As are tough. But if we happen not to win, then, you know, I’ve always said, ‘If we if we can go through a game and say that we played as hard as we could for as long as we could, and we played together and we loved each other through it, then, that was a success.’ ”