Jerone Morton's Incredible Leap At Washington State Made Him A Portal Must-Have

Alright, listen up, Seattle sports fanatics, because we gotta talk about Jerone Morton! This dude, who rocked the court for our very own Washington State Cougars last season, is officially making moves in the transfer portal. Big news just dropped: Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ confirmed Morton is set to visit Kentucky this Friday! Yeah, *that* Kentucky. Talk about a seismic shift for a guy who’s been balling out in the West Coast Conference. Losing a talent like him stings, but seeing a Washington player get this kind of national attention? That's what we love to see!

From Kentucky Kid to Cougar Legend, Almost

You gotta respect Morton's journey, seriously. He started his college career back east at Morehead State for two seasons, but it was his move out west to play for David Riley's Cougars in 2025-26 that really put him on the map for us. Before all that, he was a legit star at George Rogers Clark High in Kentucky, leading his team to a Sweet 16 championship in 2022 and snagging the MVP award, then a runner-up finish in 2023. As a senior, he was dropping nearly 20 points and 6.6 boards a game! He was lightly recruited then, but boy, did he prove those doubters wrong. After a quiet freshman year at Morehead State, his sophomore season saw a massive jump, starting 20 of 26 games and bumping his averages to 10.4 points, 3.4 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in nearly 30 minutes! His shooting splits exploded too, hitting 45.0% from the field, 37.7% from deep, and 72.0% from the line. He even had a couple of 20-point outings, including an 18-point, seven-assist, four-rebound gem in an overtime win! That kind of production screams "opportunity!" and

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he found it with our Cougars.

The Advanced Stats Don't Lie About His Game

So, what did Morton bring to the Palouse? He started 29 of 32 games for Wazzu, averaging 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes. His shooting splits were solid, hitting 43.8% from the field, 38.8% from three, and 82.0% from the charity stripe. He even put up 16 and 15 points in two matchups against Gonzaga, and dished out nine assists to go with nine points against St. Mary’s. But the advanced stats are where it gets wild. This guy was in the *85th percentile* for three-point shooting among all guards and the *88th percentile* for assist/turnover ratio (a stellar 2.22), according to CBB Analytics! He's not a high-usage player, just 16.6%, but he generated points. His shot chart? Well above average from mid-range and on above-the-break threes. Plus, he shot over 50 percent on his threes from the right side of the floor! And from NBA range, he knocked down 37% of his 61 attempts. That's a deep shooting threat right there! The only real question mark from last season was his defense. While he was average in defensive havoc and a solid steals/blocks guy for a guard, the overall defensive metrics weren't super kind, with a DRAPM of -3.4 and Defensive Win Shares of 0.03. Still, he made more impact on the offensive glass than defensive. So, what's next for Jerone? He's got one year of eligibility left, and with DePaul, George Mason, and Texas A&M also in the mix, he's got options. Heading to Kentucky is a huge opportunity to show what he can do on the biggest stage. We'll be watching closely to see where this Washington State standout lands and how he leverages that final season. You know we're always rooting for our guys from the Evergreen State!

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