Jerone Morton From WSU Is Eyeing Kentucky, and The Entire Portal Needs to Pay Attention

Okay, Seattle fam, you gotta hear this. Jerone Morton, our guy from Washington State, is making moves in the transfer portal, and it's got everyone buzzing. Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ confirmed it: Morton is scheduled to visit Kentucky this Friday. Mark Pope has his starting backcourt pretty much set with Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, but seriously, you always need that depth. And a local kid from central Kentucky like Morton could be a massive piece to fill that backup guard spot. This is big for him, coming off a solid season in Pullman, and it's a huge decision with just one year of eligibility left.

From Morehead State to Pullman, Then What?

Morton's journey has been wild. He's a central Kentucky native, a star at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, leading them to a Sweet 16 championship in 2022 (where he snagged the MVP!) and a runner-up finish in 2023. As a senior, he was dropping 19.8 points and 6.6 boards on 52.4 percent shooting. Even though he was lightly recruited, he landed at Morehead State. His freshman year in 2023-24 was quiet, just 2.2 points in 12.9 minutes over 34 games, starting two. But his sophomore year? BOOM. Morton exploded in 2024-25, starting 20 of 26 games, averaging 10.4 points, 3.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 29.5 minutes. His shooting splits jumped to 45.0/37.7/72.0! He even had a couple of 20-point outings, including an 18-point, seven-assist, four-rebound game in an overtime win against UT Martin. That production led him to search for a bigger opportunity, landing him as the first transfer portal addition for new Washington State head coach David Riley last offseason. In 2025-26, Morton started 29 of 32 games for the Cougars, putting up 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 24.9

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minutes. His shooting splits were 43.8/38.8/82.0. He even dropped 16 and 15 points in two matchups against Gonzaga, and had a nine-point, nine-assist game versus St. Mary’s. The guy clearly knows how to produce.

Digging Into the Numbers: What Morton Brings to the Table

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty, because that's what we do here. Morton’s three-point shooting and assist/turnover ratio at Washington State really stand out. He was in the 85th percentile among all guards for three-point shooting and an incredible 88th percentile for his assist/turnover ratio of 2.22, per CBB Analytics. He's a lower usage player at 16.6 percent, but when the ball's in his hands, he finds ways to score. His shot chart shows he’s well above average on mid-range jumpers and above-the-break threes. He shot over 50 percent on threes from the right side, and drained 37 percent of his 61 NBA-range triples. We're talking proven deep-shooting threat here. Now, for defense. He’s rated as average in terms of defensive havoc, solid for a guard in steals/blocks. But, and this is where we get real, his overall defensive metrics last season weren't great. His DRAPM of -3.4 put him in the 2nd percentile, and Defensive Win Shares of 0.03 landed him in the 20th percentile. He was also a bigger impact player on the offensive glass than the defensive. So, there’s room to grow on that end, but his offensive game is legit. What a wild ride for this guy, right? From a high school champ, to a breakout sophomore year at Morehead, then a key player at Wazzu, and now he's in the portal. DePaul, George Mason, and Texas A&M are all reaching out, but that Kentucky visit is the one to watch. With only one year left to play, Morton’s next stop is going to be massive. Will he head back home, or will another school swoop in? This decision could define his final college season.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.