25 Days to Purdue Basketball: Ethan Morton #25

Ethan Morton is one of two top-100 guards that will play this year as true freshman for Matt Painter.

While Ivey will get more of the highlights, Morton already looks to be the exact kind of glue guy that excels in Coach Painter’s system. That line is selling him short. This kid can play.

He was Mr. Basketball for the state of Pennsylvania, leading his team to the 6-A title and they were favorites to win the state tournament before it was cancelled. Morton did everything for the team, and even that is underselling it.

He averaged 23.4 points per game, 13 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.

He doesn’t have as pure a shot coming into college as Ryan Cline or Sasha Stefanovic, but those are two of the best high school shooters in the last ten years. Morton shot over 56% from the field, including better than 80% from the free throw line. Free throw shooting indicates touch and a good jump shot usually follows.

Morton’s best ability on the court is his vision. He plays much bigger than his 6’4 size indicates and it leads to him grabbing a lot of boards. His mix tapes almost always include a handful of outlet passes that he can make with either hands. He looks to push off rebounds and take advantage of transitioning defenses. This would be a welcomed change from Purdue’s last point guard who tended to slowly pound the ball up after a rebound.

Morton can make just about any shot on the court. He has decent balance on pull ups, and has worked on making the top of his jump shot smoother in the last two years of high school. He’s a plus athlete, but he plays hard, has long arms, and is smart on the basketball court.

He will be a perfect complimentary piece next to Ivey for a long time coming.

Expect Morton to be a key player off the bench for Painter from day one, and someone who can potentially push for a starting role.