“Morrison told me he was going to Carolina, so we’d be playing against each other in college,” explained Sherrill, who as everyone who hasn’t been trapped in an elevator for the past five months knows, has signed with N.C. State. “I looked at him and said, ‘Huh. Say what. You’re going where?’ I not only didn’t know him, I’d never heard of him.”

Rest assured, now that Sherrill has played against Morrison, it’s unlikely he’ll ever forget him. Not that he won’t try. All Morrison did was rack up co-MVPhonors for the East team, which won the offensive-minded contest 146-131. Morrison scored 19 points, shooting 6-for-12, canning three 3-pointers and making four steals. He outdunked Sherrill 1-0.

“Whew!” gulped Sherrill, shaking his head vigorously after the game. “That guy’s a pretty great player.”

You couldn’t blame Sherrill for not recognizing Morrison. A lot of folks haven’t heard much about him, because he hails from Washington state. Morrison wasn’t in the McDonald’s All-America game and doesn’t have a monster reputation. But he showed last night exactly why UNC coaches fell in love with him this summer and why he’ll make an impact for a program seeking to replace four-year backcourt starter Ed Cota.

Morrison is compared by many to former Charlotte Hornet Rex Chapman, partly because he looks a bit like him, mostly because, like Chapman, he can really jump. But for one game, at least, those comparisons looked like an insult to Morrison. His 3-point shot looks less streaky than Chapman’s and he looks considerably more eager to play defense.

Sherrill, meanwhile, never found his ‘A” game, but recovered from an admittedly awful first half to make a respectable showing. He finished with 14 points and matched Morrison’s assist total with three, including a spectacular off-the-glass pass that teammate Abdul Diame slammed home.

Sherrill did enjoy a big edge on Morrison in the pregame applause. Sherrill and future N.C. State teammate Michael Bell were greeted by adoring Wolfpack fans with rousing ovations when they were introduced to more than 9,000 fans in the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Sherrill responded with a wave.

Morrison, on the other hand, was booed lustily, because of his allegiance to the Tar Heels. So was another future Heel, impressive big man Jason Parker. Then, proving they were equal opportunity insulters, the pro-Wolfpack crowd also greeted Duke signee Chris Duhon with a welcome that could not be characterized as warm.

The cheering for Sherrill may have had an adverse effect on him. Despite his world travels, he’s still just an 18-year-old kid. The expectations of a crowd of strangers no doubt put added pressure on him. He was aggressive offensively, but missed several shots that he’ll ordinarily make blindfolded.

“Oh, yeah,” said Sherrill. “I was definitely nervous. I was pressing, because it was my first game on this floor and I wanted to do well for the State fans.”

The Roundball Classic has a unique format, with every player guaranteed 24 minutes. There are 10 guys on a team, with units of five playing together for six-minute shifts over four 12-minute quarters. Sherrill was assigned the last shift in the first and second quarters and the first shift of the third and fourth. Sherrill spent all his time on the court with point guard Imari Sawyer, small forward Diame, Bell and future Maryland big man Chris Wilcox. Morrison teamed with co-MVP Taliek Brown, who had 13 assists, and Brian Boddicker and Andre Brown on a unit that outscored Scooter’s squad 82-66.

Sitting out those first six minutes couldn’t have helped Sherrill. That interval just let the pressure from his ovation build some more. It let him think about how he was going to try to live up to it. When Sherrill came into the game, his team was already down to stay. Morrison entered the fray at exactly the same time. His shifts were identical to Sherrill’s, so they were matched up on both ends of the floor for their full 24 minutes. It gave the two future rivals a chance to go at it head to head without interruption.

It was all Morrison in the first half. He swished two long 3s in his first few minutes of duty and stymied Sherrill. Once, Morrison stripped Sherrill in mid spin move. On another occasion, Sherrill gave Morrison several pump fakes inside, only to have Morrison swat the shot away.

When the pair came out for the second quarter, Sherrill’s misery continued. Morrison made another bomb and got free for an emphatic slam dunk. Sherrill trailed 12-0 in their personal duel until the last minute of the half. Then he tipped in his own miss and drove for a layup. But the halftime tally was ugly: Morrison 12, Sherrill 4 (on 2-for-8 shooting).

To his credit, Sherrill didn’t get down and bounced back in the second half. He took eight more shots and made four — all of them in the lane. His outside shot, though, was still missing as his 0-for-3 on 3s. will certainly attest.

“Seems like I’ve been struggling with my shot my last 10 games or so,” said Sherrill. “I think it’s because I keep trying to change it.”

Sherrill did play Morrison with increased respect in the second half and forced him into some much tougher shots. Morrison was 2-for-6 after halftime.

“I got over the nerves in the second half,” said Sherrill. “I settled down and played more like me.”

Which is all Wolfpack fans are asking from the fellow who was just named the player of the year in North Carolina by the Associated Press over some pretty serious competition.

One thing’s for sure. If anyone asks Sherrill about Morrison in the future, he’ll know exactly who they’re talking about. And next time they meet, things might be a whole lot different.

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