Her dad, Bob, is the baseball coach at IU.
So when it came time for Morgan, the best high school girl player in Bloomington history, to choose her college, the locals expected IU to be first, second and third on her list.
But Morgan signed with Notre Dame. IU finished with Stanford and Vanderbilt as the also-rans.
''A lot of people were disappointed,'' Morgan said.
''I was not very popular around here for a while,'' her father said. ''It was a tough time.''
But now - four years and 2,304 points later - they're over it, right?
''Most of them are,'' Beth Morgan said. ''Some took it harder than others.''
Morgan, a 6-foot senior guard, leads Notre Dame against Tennessee in the Women's Final Four Friday. She has been around Bloomington and sports long enough to understand the feeling of the IU fans - however misguided.
''My dad worked there,'' she said. ''I lived in Assembly Hall. I think any school that has a kid who can play at the next level would have people feel the same way.
''But it's all worked out well for me.''
Very, very well.
Morgan took the Notre Dame program to the next level. Before she arrived the Irish had been to only one NCAA Tournament and had never won a tourney game. The Irish were coming off the worst two years in coach Muffet McGraw's tenure.
In the four years since Morgan arrived, the Irish have gone to the NCAA tournament three times and won 97 games.
''Beth wanted to go to a program that wasn't in the Top 25 and help get it there,'' Bob said. ''She's done that.''
Morgan grew up playing whatever sport was in season. She was a star in Little League baseball - playing against boys - until her mother, Bridget, suggested she shift to a more feminine sport. She was a good enough tennis player to play varsity at Notre Dame her first two years.
But basketball was her sport.
She averaged 33.2 points a game as a senior at Bloomington South High School and was named a Parade All-American.
Moving to college level barely slowed her down. She led Notre Dame in scoring (17.9 per game) as a freshman.
''She was a good scorer when she got here,'' McGraw said. ''She's obviously a great shooter, and she knew how to read defenses and move without the ball to get her shot.''
Morgan is Notre Dame's all-time leading scorer, but she began carrying less of the scoring load as Katryna Gaither's game developed. Gaither, ND's 6-3 center, has been the leading scorer each of the last three years.
But that is not to say Morgan's game has not improved.
''She's a better rebounder,'' McGraw said. ''She's a better defender.''
But what you'll notice about Morgan is her shot. She can make three-pointers. She has a nice, high-arching shot. One of the big differences between men's and women's three-point shooters is the time it takes the women to get a shot off. With most, it takes a long time to get set for a shot. Not Morgan. Her release is NBA quick.
She is hitting 32 percent from three-point range. Her percentage from long-range is down - she hit 40 percent last year - but when she is on, she can take over a game. She hit three three-pointers in 1ï minutes against Alabama in the East Regional semifinals to turn the game around.
But Morgan is not the kind of player who stays outside the three-
point line trying to get open shots. She can penetrate and is great in transition. Her pull-up jumper is devastating, which makes her a threat in transition.
She credits her dad with helping her develop her shot.
''He's really a good shooter, although he never played beyond high school,'' she said.
Morgan will probably feel more at home in Cincinnati than any player in the Final Four. She was born in Wooster, Ohio. Her dad played baseball with Mike Schmidt at Ohio U. Her sister, Gretchen, is a Miami graduate and now teaches sixth grade in Hamilton.
Bob made it the East Regional in Columbia, S.C.
He hopes to make the Final Four game Friday.
''We've got our Big Ten opener with Illinois at home this weekend,'' he said. ''But I can make it down in 2ï hours - an hour and a half if my wife is sleeping.''
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