Kentucky’s Mark Pope lands Washington State sharpshooter in transfer portal appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kentucky basketball took a huge loss with big man Mouhamed Dioubate leaving Lexington. The move brought out new criticism for head coach Mark Pope. But Pope made up for the exit Wednesday via Washington State.
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Jerome Morton bolts from Pullman to UK, college basketball insider for On3/Rivals Joe Tipton revealed. Morton brings needed experience to the Wildcats’ room.
He cracked the starting lineup in 51 total games across three seasons, including at his first CBB stop Morehead State. He left the Eagles after averaging 10.4 points per game in 2024-25 and made the jump to the West Coast Conference.
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 7.8 points per game with the Cougars. He produced 11 games of surpassing double figures as Wazzu played its final season as a WCC member (Washington State returns to a newly revamped Pac-12 next season).
The native of Lexington delivered his best outings against WCC champion and national power Gonzaga; scoring 15 and 16 points in both regular season meetings despite taking the losses.
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Morton interacted with Pope via FaceTime prior to his commitment and visit to UK. He’ll aim to recapture his past roundball magic in his home state.
Morton starred for George Rogers Clark High in Winchester, Ky., including leading a state championship during the 2021-22 season. He delivered 19.6 points per game as a senior, elevating him to No. 2 among best Bluegrass State prospects for his graduating class.
Yet he wasn’t highly recruited out of high school. Morton landed with the Ohio Valley Conference school Morehead State and played there for two seasons.
Morton enters the UK picture following two big College Basketball Transfer Portal losses. Kentucky lost out on landing BYU star Rob Wright III and ex-Syracuse star Donnie Freeman. The latter landed with St. John’s in the portal.
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