Jerone Morton Is Lighting Up The Transfer Portal, And Washington State Fans Know What That Means
Alright, so you know how it is. You find a player, they contribute, they show out, and then BAM! The transfer portal hits. That's exactly where we're at with former Washington State guard Jerone Morton, who's officially making waves in the portal, and the buzz around him is serious. The dude is scheduled to visit Kentucky this Friday, a move that’s got to sting for anyone who watched him ball for the Cougars. Jacob Polacheck over at KSR+ confirmed it, and honestly, can you blame big programs for looking his way?
From Kentucky Kid to Cougar Contributor
Morton’s journey has been wild. This central Kentucky native kicked off his college career closer to home at Morehead State for two seasons before heading out west to play for our very own Cougars in the West Coast Conference for the 2025-26 season. Dude was a star in high school back in Winchester, leading George Rogers Clark to a Sweet 16 championship in 2022, where he was MVP, and a runner-up spot in 2023. As a senior in 2022-23, he was dropping 19.8 points and grabbing 6.6 rebounds a game on 52.4 percent shooting. Talk about a local legend!
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He was lightly recruited out of high school, landing at Morehead State as a true freshman in 2023-24, where he played in 34 games, starting two, averaging 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds. But his sophomore year? Man, that's where he really took off. In 2024-25, he started 20 of 26 games, bumping his numbers significantly to 10.4 points, 3.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 29.5 minutes. His shooting splits jumped too: 45.0/37.7/72.0! He even had a couple of 20-point games and an 18-point, seven-assist, four-rebound night in an overtime win against UT Martin. All that production, and he became the first portal addition for new Washington State head coach David Riley, choosing the Cougars over schools like Marshall and Indiana State.
Morton's Numbers for WSU and Beyond
At Washington State in 2025-26, Morton kept grinding. He started 29 of his 32 games, averaging 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per outing. His shooting splits were solid: 43.8/38.8/82.0. The guy showed up in big games too, scoring 16 and 15 points in two matchups against Gonzaga, and dropping a nine-point, nine-assist game against St. Mary’s. We saw firsthand what he could do!
And the advanced stats? They paint a clear picture. Morton graded out in the 85th percentile among all guards for his three-point shooting and in the 88th percentile for his assist/turnover ratio, hitting a 2.22 mark, according to CBB Analytics. He wasn't a high-usage player, just 16.6 percent, but he found ways to score. He was especially good with mid-range jumpers and above-the-break threes, shooting over 50 percent on his threes from the right side of the floor! He knocked down 37 percent of his 61 NBA-range triples. That's serious deep-shooting threat value. Defensively, he was average in havoc and solid with steals/blocks, but the overall defensive metrics weren't as kind, with his DRAPM at -3.4 and Defensive Win Shares at 0.03. Still, he made a bigger impact on the offensive glass than the defensive side.
Now, with one year of eligibility left, Jerone Morton is a hot commodity. Beyond Kentucky, schools like DePaul, George Mason, and Texas A&M are reaching out. It's tough to see a guy like him leave after what he showed at Wazzu, but it's the nature of the beast. We’ll be watching to see where he lands and what impact he makes next season, because this guy can ball!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.