Jay Morris is in his second season (2025-26) as an assistant coach at SMU and his fifth working with Head Coach Andy Enfield.
In his first season on the Hilltop, he helped lead the Mustangs to a 24-11 overall record and earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Mustangs went 13-7 in the program’s inaugural season in the ACC to tie for fourth and also won the Acrisure Holiday Invitational. The Mustangs were one of just two teams in the nation with six players averaging at least 9.9 points and one of just eight teams in the NCAA top 50 for field goal percentage and field goal defense. SMU signed the nation’s fourth-ranked high school recruiting class, which is the best in program history. He was also invited to the Elite 75 Future Head Coach Power Lunch in San Antonio leading up to the Final Four.
Morris helped USC make two NCAA Tournaments in his three seasons (2021-24). He spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego State (2018-21), where he helped the Aztecs to a combined 74-20 overall record with a 42-11 mark in the Mountain West Conference. SDSU won back-to-back MWC regular-season titles (2020, 2021) and the 2021 MWC Tournament crown to reach the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
During the 2019-20 season, SDSU started 26-0 to be the last undefeated team in Division I. The Aztecs spent 15 weeks ranked in the national polls including 11 weeks in the AP top-10, finishing the season at No. 6.
Morris previously spent the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach at San Jose State. He was the director of player development at Long Beach State in 2016-17. He was on the Nevada staff in 2015-16 as the Wolfpack won the CBI. He was also an assistant coach at Cal State Northridge from 2010-15. Morris got his Division I start at Long Beach State where he spent two seasons (2008-10) as the director of operations, making the 2010 Big West Tournament title game.
A member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Morris received his coaching start at his high school alma mater, Westchester High in Los Angeles where he was an assistant basketball coach and strength coach for three seasons. During his stint at the prep level, Morris coached six players who went on to play Division I.
Morris earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and later received his master’s degree in coaching/athletic administration from Concordia.
Morris and his wife, Yavonna, have twins -- a son named Chance and daughter named Mercy.
Updated: May 9, 2025
