Morgan Aiken Jr. holds Saipan Training Camp

07/14/2025 - Former B.League point guard and Grind Basketball Guam founder Morgan Aiken Jr. doesn’t like tall people, which is ironic since the sport he’s become known for—basketball—is a tall man’s sport.

“I always joke around with my tall friends, saying I don't like tall people, just because they always feel like, you know, they're tall, so they don't have to work on dribbling. And at least for me, like being shorter, it forces me to work on a lot more things,” said the 5’8” hooper from Guam.

Instead of a disadvantage, Aiken, who was on Saipan to conduct a two-day basketball clinic under Grind Basketball Guam, said being short gave him that added perseverance and edge, which eventually helped him land a spot in the Japanese professional basketball league.

“It makes me have to work a lot harder just because I don't have the height, whether it's working on on-court strength and like on-court skills, whether it's like athletic ability, whether it's understanding the game more, watching film, and stuff like that. And I feel like I was in a place where I was making excuses for myself because I was small. But then there are so many talented short guys in the NBA, in the B-League, even the PBA, where they're able to make an impact at that height I was trying to understand how I would be able to kind of do the same,” said Aiken, who went to high school at St. Paul Christian School in Guam.

During his seven-year stint in Japan, where he played for Akita Northern Happinets, Tokyo Cinq Rêves, Five Arrows, Saitama Broncos, Yamaguchi Patriots, Aiken was able to measure himself against players taller and more talented than himself. But his most persistent trait was his eagerness to learn and improve.

“I was always the shortest on my team, especially in Japan. But it's being able to like put your confidence aside and trying to figure out if you're playing, why am I playing? Why am I not playing? What are the mistakes that I'm making? And constantly being like a student of the game, whether it's the student of the game as far as basketball or life, because I feel like once, you know, you're able to set your ego aside and kind of self-reflect, you're able to grow a lot more. And that's on and off the court,” he said.

As for this week’s basketball clinic on Saipan, which he dubbed Saipan Training Camp and held at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium last July 8 and 9, he said a total of 20 players signed up—10 boys and 10 girls.

Aiken said the basketball clinic is a continuation of his philosophy that basketball isn’t only for tall people, as he wants to show the islands that even at 5’8” or shorter, you can still excel in the sport. 

“We try to do our best to help athletes get to the next level, whether that's middle school to high school, high school to college, hopefully college to pro... I've never been to Saipan until last year, and I just wanted to take the opportunity where Saipan is kind of like an island, just like Guam, where we have so many talented basketball athletes,” he said.

Day 1 of the camp saw Aiken focus on teaching players on how to change directions while dribbling, “because no matter what level you play at like, you're going to have to change directions unless the defense doesn't cut you off. But when you do, whether it's like a crossover, spin between the legs, or behind the back, you’ve got to be able to execute it. “

As for the talent level of basketball players on Saipan, he said it’s similar to Guam’s, and like Guam, local players aren’t given the same opportunity as players in the U.S. mainland.

“I feel like we could push one another, especially coming from Guam, coming to Saipan, to grow just so we're able to compete at that level where it's against people from the States, or like Japan, or going to the Philippines, and people who have that ability to try to pursue basketball, you know, like as a career. And I feel like if we're able to do that, people can pursue whatever they want, whatever passion they have, whether it's basketball, on the court, job field, to, you know, be the best that they could be.”

Attendees of the camp appreciated the basketball lessons they learned from Aiken.

“I joined this camp to work on my skills because I know that I need to get better at certain things. Some of my biggest takeaways are how much he emphasized the fundamentals, dribbling, shooting, and having good footwork. It reminds me that there are things that I need to work on,” said James Matsumoto of Mount Carmel School.

“I joined this camp because Coach [Mike] Mercado allowed me to learn from Coach Morgan. My biggest takeaway from this camp is probably that I learned a lot of skills, handles, and how to kick the ball [when I’m trying] to go to the basket,” said Roswell Garcia of Dandan Middle School.

Aiken is the first player from Guam to play in the professional Japan Basketball League. Born in Hawaii, he attended high school in Guam and played NCAA college basketball for Eastern University. He is a part of the Guam national basketball team, winning the gold medal at the 2014 Micronesian Games. Aiken was sponsored by BoingVert and Adidas Japan after gaining popularity on Instagram and YouTube from posting dunking videos, even at just 5'8.”

Report by Mark Rabago

Video edited by Tahj Salas