Jerone Morton's WSU Numbers Are Seriously Underrated, and He's Out the Door
Alright, Cougar fans, and honestly, anyone who appreciates a homegrown talent from our state, this one stings a bit. Remember Jerone Morton, that guard from Washington State who just kept getting better? Well, word just dropped, and Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ confirmed it: Morton, a central Kentucky native, is headed back east for a visit this Friday to check out Kentucky. Yeah, you read that right. He's exploring options in the transfer portal, and it looks like our state might be losing a legit talent.
From Morehead to Pullman: Morton's Incredible Growth Spurt
This dude's journey has been something else. He started his college ball at Morehead State for two seasons, then brought his game to the West Coast Conference with the Cougars for the 2025-26 season. After a quiet freshman year at Morehead, averaging just 2.2 points in 34 games, he absolutely exploded as a sophomore, clocking 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, too. He was even the MVP of the Sweet 16 championship in high school back in 2022. Coach David Riley snapped him up as his first portal addition last offseason. Morton came to Pullman and started 29 of 32 games for the Cougars this past season, putting up 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 boards in 24.9 minutes, with 82.0 percent free throw shooting! We saw him light up Gonzaga for 16 points and 15 points in two separate matchups, and he dished out nine assists with nine points against St. Mary's. Other big-name schools like DePaul, George Mason, and Texas A&M are apparently hitting him up now. This guy is a player, plain and simple.
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Breaking Down the Stats: What Morton Brings
So, what do the numbers really say about Morton? According to CBB Analytics, his three-point shooting was in the 85th percentile among all guards, and his assist/turnover ratio of 2.22 ranked him in the 88th percentile. That's elite-level ball control and shooting, folks! He's not a high-usage guy, just 16.6 percent, but when he had the ball, he made stuff happen. His shot chart shows he was well above average on mid-range jumpers and above-the-break threes. He even drained over 50 percent of his threes from the right side of the floor! Plus, of his 61 deep shots from NBA range, he knocked 'em down at a 37 percent clip. The dude can shoot, and 54.8 percent of his threes last season were unassisted, meaning he can create his own shot. On defense, he's solid with steals and blocks for a guard, but the overall metrics weren't loving his impact last season, with a DRAPM of -3.4 and Defensive Win Shares of 0.03. He made a bigger impact crashing the offensive boards than the defensive ones.
It's a tough pill to swallow watching talent like Morton explore options away from Washington State. He clearly made a huge jump in his game, proving he could hang in the WCC, even against top teams. With one year of eligibility left, whoever lands him is getting a serious offensive weapon and a pro-level ball handler. The Cougars are losing a solid starter who showed flashes of brilliance and real consistency. What could WSU have done with this kind of growth? Now, we just gotta watch and see where he lands. Hopefully, he continues to shine, even if it's not here in the Pacific Northwest.
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.