Morris Ugusuk took a leap of faith with South Carolina. Now, he’s finding his stride
Morris Ugusuk arrived in South Carolina nearly 5,000 miles from home, wide-eyed and unsure of what to expect.
All he knew was he wanted to hoop.
The Helsinki, Finland native first picked up a basketball as a little kid when a family friend — someone he describes as an “uncle or big brother figure” — took him out to play one day.
That day turned into a lifetime. The moment the ball was in his hands, he was hooked.
“I just fell in love with it ever since,” Ugusuk said.
But love alone doesn’t get you to the SEC.
A leap of faith to chase the dream
Growing up, Ugusuk played mostly for fun. He wasn’t really thinking about college ball as a serious possibility until his freshman year at Drive Basketball Academy in Finland. That’s when he buckled down and started putting in the hours in the gym.
Then, he saw he had the potential to play at the next level, and it was grind time from there.
And the grind paid off. By his junior year, scholarship offers rolled in, with Pittsburgh and Oklahoma State offering him before he ultimately committed to South Carolina in April 2023.
“I always wanted to play college basketball,” Ugusuk said. “That was my dream since I was a little kid, as soon as I really started to think about it. So college was always one of my big dreams, and of course, the NBA. College is the best way to get to the NBA. It’s not the only way, but it was the best way. So I took my chances with it.”
On paper, USC wasn’t the most obvious pick. The Gamecocks were coming off an 11-21 season in head coach Lamont Paris’ first year. But for Ugusuk, it wasn’t about immediate wins — it was about trust.
Paris’ vision for the program and belief in Ugusuk’s role made all the difference. He had to take his talents to Columbia.
“We built that trust over the time period we had conversations,” Ugusuk said. “I think the connection with me and Lamont really took the advantage over other schools. Pretty much the whole facility and all the coaching staff — I think I had the best connection with them.”
The decision to leave Finland wasn’t just about basketball. It was a leap of faith in every sense. Moving across the world meant leaving behind family, friends and a familiar culture for an entirely new way of life.
At least he wasn’t alone. His longtime friend and former Drive Academy teammate, Okku Federiko, committed to USC shortly after Ugusuk, giving him a piece of home in Columbia.
The only problem? Federiko hasn’t been on the court with Ugusuk this season due to NCAA eligibility issues. Still, they kept in touch, playing video games together.
Leaving Finland also meant giving up correct pronunciations of his name. That is, until midway through his sophomore season when he finally told his teammates they were saying it wrong.
“They just had it wrong; I never said anything, so I was just kind of letting it go,” Ugusuk said, laughing. “And then one day, they just asked me at practice. So they fixed it.”
By the way, it’s pronounced OO-GUH-sook.
USC’s newest sharpshooter
Year one with the Gamecocks wasn’t all smooth sailing for Ugusuk.
Ugusuk’s freshman season was full of uncertainty. He didn’t play that much, plus he wasn’t quite sure how to play within the system. His role felt undefined, and the transition from Finnish basketball — where he said team play and shooting were emphasized — to the more individualized, role-driven American game wasn’t seamless.
He averaged 2.2 points last season on 33.8% shooting and 29.2% from deep.
“Last year I was playing, but I wasn’t really sure of my role yet, because I just came out of high school,” Ugusuk said. “I was still trying to figure out what I can do best for the team to help them win.”
Eventually, he found his lane. If year one was about adjusting, year two has been about arriving.
Sometime between the end of his freshman season and the start of his sophomore campaign, something changed. Ugusuk realized that his best way to make an impact was as a shooter.
“I always knew I could shoot, but like this? I haven’t really shot like this, because I always had to do so much more,” Ugusuk said. “So I was never really focused on just shooting. But now I feel like I can just focus on that. And I think it’s paying off for the good.”
And he’s certainly letting it fly.
With this newfound role, Ugusuk has increased his numbers in most statistical categories. He’s averaging 6.6 points on nearly 42% shooting from behind the arc.
His breakout moment came in November, during USC’s road game at Indiana. That night, something clicked. He scored 18 points on four 3-pointers.
He found his rhythm, and from that point on his confidence skyrocketed.
“I just try to put the work in and mentally stay ready,” Ugusuk said. “Just keep being confident in my shot.”
Back in Finland, he had to do a little bit of everything. Playmaker. Defender. Scorer. Facilitator. Here, with a more defined role, he can focus on letting it fly.
What’s next?
Basketball is a game of evolution, and while his shooting has taken center stage, there’s another part of his game that he knows needs attention: his playmaking.
That need became painfully clear when senior guard Jamarii Thomas went down with an injury early in SEC play. Suddenly, USC was looking for someone to step up and facilitate the offense.
Ugusuk was thrust into the starting lineup alongside senior Jacobi Wright, sharing ball-handling duties. But he quickly realized his playmaking instincts had faded since high school.
“In high school, I had to be that guy,” he said. “Then when I got here, I lost focus on that. … But now I think I need to start getting that back. Being confident with the ball, using ball screens to make great plays for others.”
With two seasons left in Columbia after this year, Ugusuk’s goal is clear — develop his all-around game while continuing to be a reliable deep threat.
Beyond college, he hasn’t thought much of what comes next. He knows he wants to play in the pros, but right now, he’s just focused on the present.
Despite finding his rhythm at USC, Ugusuk admits there are moments when he misses Finland — his family, his friends, even the little things like the food and culture. He’s only gotten to go home once, last summer after school let out.
Still, he knows this is where he belongs. This was the leap of faith he had to take.
And now, nearly two years after landing in South Carolina, Ugusuk and the Gamecocks are starting to see it pay off.
