Apr. 14—PULLMAN — The first reinforcement of the offseason has arrived at Washington State.
WSU’s first commitment out of the transfer portal this spring comes from Morehead State transfer guard Jerone Morton, who announced his decision on social media Monday evening. Morton has two years of eligibility remaining.
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As a sophomore last season, the 6-foot-4 Morton averaged 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, shooting 45% from the floor and 37.7% from 3-point range on three attempts per contest. Making 20 starts in 26 games, Morton scored in double figures on 14 occasions, including a season-high of 21 points.
Even with only two years of college basketball under his belt, the left-handed Morton has plenty of experience, appearing in 34 games as a freshman and 26 as a sophomore, for a total of 60 games. Morton averaged 12.9 minutes as a freshman and 29.5 as a sophomore.
Last season, Morton’s assist rate of 26.6 ranked No. 144 nationally, while his steal percentage of 2.7 ranked No. 412 nationally.
With Morton’s commitment, WSU now has around five open scholarships remaining, though the number isn’t set the way it has been. Starting in 2025-26, college basketball teams will have roster limits (15 players) instead of scholarship limits, allowing coaches to spread out scholarships as they see fit. That means some players could be on full scholarship with others on a partial scholarship.
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As a freshman, Morton scored 2.2 points per game for the Eagles, who made the NCAA Tournament as a 14 seed. They lost to Illinois in Omaha, Nebraska, where seventh-seeded WSU beat 10th-seeded Drake before falling to second-seeded Iowa State. That season, Morton played as many as 26 minutes, scoring five points in a blowout win over Southeast Missouri State.
A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Morton’s commitment is a key development for WSU, which is looking to replace its entire starting lineup, three of whom have entered the transfer portal, including Maryland-bound Isaiah Watts and Texas Tech-bound LeJuan Watts. Guard Nate Calmese recently took a visit to Villanova, he posted on social media, while senior forwards Ethan Price and Dane Erikstrup are out of eligibility.
Star guard Cedric Coward has also entered the transfer portal, but he also has his sights set on the NBA draft. It’s unclear which route he will take, but in today’s college basketball ecosystem, it’s possible Coward could earn a bigger NIL payday out of the transfer portal than from the draft, where he would likely be a late second-round pick.
With some size and shooting, Morton seems like a nice fit in coach David Riley’s system, which prioritizes spacing and scoring. The Cougars often turned it over too much last season, though, and Morton averaged 1.9 turnovers per game, fewer than all but one members of WSU’s starting five from last season.
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It appears WSU will return a few members from last year’s team, including wing shooter Ri Vavers, guards Tomas Thrastarson, Kase Wynott and Parker Gerrits, plus forward ND Okafor.
Freshman guard Marcus Wilson, who missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, entered the transfer portal in late March. He’s one of five Cougs to do so this offseason, joining Isaiah Watts and LeJuan Watts, Coward and Calmese.
