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Some say if you can play ball, the scouts will find you. Hank Morgan said, I’ll just go show ’em.

That’s how an NCAA Division III All-American out of Hamilton College ended up with the Maine Celtics, helping the team earn an NBA G League playoff spot. Since joining the Celtics in mid-February, the 6-foot-5 Morgan has played in 17 games, averaging 8.5 points and just under three rebounds while playing around 20 minutes per game.

“(Morgan) does the simple things well. And he’s pretty athletic. I think he might have the highest vertical (leap) on our team,” Maine Celtics coach Phil Pressey said. “He’s still not comfortable. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, always has something to prove. (If he) keeps that mindset, he can go far.”

It came at an open tryout last fall held by the Salt Lake City Stars, the G League affiliate of the Utah Jazz. Morgan said he went for the experience, with no expectations and no pressure. He knocked down 3-pointers and got to the rim. At one point he turned and saw Stars general manager Katie Benzan watching him closely. That’s a good sign, he thought.

“I felt that no matter what happened, I had done everything in my power to show my capabilities, what I can do,” Morgan said.

The Stars invited him to the team’s preseason workouts, and he made the roster. He played seven games before being waived in a mid-January roster shakeup.

The Celtics claimed Morgan in early February, and he joined Maine for a game at Sioux Falls. He’s been a steady option off the bench since.

Maine’s 121-91 win Sunday over the Cleveland Charge at the Portland Expo was a prime example of what Morgan means to the Celtics. He hit his first shot, a baseline 3-pointer, late in the first quarter to push Maine’s lead to 37-24. He finished with eight points, just off his average, and grabbed four rebounds (two offensive, two defensive). His steal and ensuing breakaway dunk in the final minute of the third quarter gave the Celtics a 100-74 lead.

Salt Lake City’s loss is Maine’s gain.

Small college basketball fans here in Maine may have seen Morgan play before he pulled on a Maine Celtics jersey. Hamilton competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference against Colby, Bates and Bowdoin.

It’s not unheard of for a Division III college player to get a pro opportunity, especially someone who excelled in the NESCAC, like Morgan. There’s Duncan Robinson, who played at Williams for one season before transferring to Michigan. Robinson is now in his eighth NBA season and first with the Detroit Pistons. There’s Sam Peek, who played at Wesleyan, then moved on to Division I Stetson before his G League career began.

Unlike those players, Morgan didn’t move on from Hamilton to take a crack at Division I. He thought about it but decided he had unfinished business at Hamilton. Morgan was named the NESCAC Player of the Year as a senior, when he lead the Continentals to the NCAA Division III tournament.

“If I had a grad year, I probably would have (transferred),” he said.

Basketball IQ permeates the game at all levels, Pressey said. The best players see the patterns. They see the game faster than other players, including how a play will unfold a split second before it does. Morgan has that, Pressey said, which enables his seamless transition from Division III to one step below the NBA.

The Celtics closed out the regular season Tuesday with a 130-105 win over the Cleveland Charge to clinch a playoff berth.

That gives Morgan, the player with a Division III resumé and Division I game, more chances to prove he belongs.