Wil Morgan the link between Notre Dame’s departing coaches

The 2022-23 school year at Notre Dame will go down as the end of an era in two sports.

Over the past week, boys’ basketball coach Paul Unterreiner stepped down after 9 seasons and baseball coach Jeff Graviett announced his retirement after the season after 27 years at the helm.

“It was definitely a surprise for myself and the rest of the basketball and baseball teams,” said senior Wil Morgan. “I know it was probably a very tough decision to make for both of these coaches. I am glad that both of these coaches were able to make a strong personal decision and I hope that it will benefit them both in the long run.”

As the only senior who played on both the baseball and basketball teams this year, Morgan is the main link between the two departing coaches. His career ends with them.

“Because all three of us are wrapping up a huge chapter in our lives, I believe my coaches and I share a common drive and sense of determination,” Morgan said. “This is a huge turn in the road for both coaches and myself, making it a great year to really make it count. I believe the idea of the end of the road pushed us during basketball season and will continue to push the team through the baseball season. Both this year’s basketball and baseball seasons will be cemented into Notre Dame history.”

The Bulldogs basketball team went 68-45 during Morgan’s four years and the baseball team went 55-39 including 9-6 so far this season.

“These two coaches have taught me a lot over the last four years,” Morgan said. “They will be two individuals that I will always remember when I reflect on core high school memories. Through both the coaches I have been taught many lessons that I plan to carry on to the next adventures of life.”

The last two years were a lot leaner than the first two. After enjoying two 20+ win seasons as an underclassman, the Bulldogs won a total of 29 games over his junior and senior years, including only 10 this past season. The Bulldogs, however, were one win away from winning their district tournament and appearing in the state tournament for the first time since 2020. To Morgan and Unterreiner, the adversity led to an appreciation of one another.

“I’ve never had a senior class quit during the season,” Unterreiner said last week. “That’s really never more true than it was this year. We struggled to get wins but we were hanging around and hanging around and I thought that our seniors bought in and truthfully we were a couple of plays away from winning a district championship this year.”

“The odds weren’t necessarily in our favor throughout much of the season, making the connection between my teammates and I even stronger,” Morgan said. “We went through many ups and downs, which really required a next-level team chemistry. This chemistry eventually made us a better team and one that put up a strong postseason fight.”

On top of Morgan playing his last season alongside his departing coaches, this is also the first time he is playing with his younger brother, Reid Morgan. The younger Morgan came in as a pinch-hitter and drove in the winning run after hitting into a fielder’s choice in an 8-7 victory over Helios Catholic on Saturday. Will also hit an RBI single that game.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” Morgan said. “This is the first year that we’ve been able to play on the field at the same time, and it’s an awesome feeling. I just know how happy my parents are watching us out on the diamond together, and that’s an incredible feeling for me. The Morgan brothers have been holding down both corners of the infield this year, and that’s something I’ll always remember. I’m also super proud of Reid for making it this far on the team at such a young age. It’s been really cool to watch him grow as a key player on the team.”

Notre Dame travels to 22-2 Portageville on Monday at 4:30 p.m.