WSU guard Jerone Morton to enter the transfer portal, ushering in complete overhaul of Cougar roster
Apr. 8—PULLMAN — Washington State will have to completely overhaul its roster this spring and summer.
Guard Jerone Morton is entering the transfer portal, he announced on social media Tuesday evening, becoming the 10th Cougar to make that decision this offseason.
Starting 29 of 32 games this past season, Morton averaged 7.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists, shooting 44% from the field and 38% from 3-point range. He was a reliable ball-handler and a staunch defender, the latter of which often earned him playing time when his scoring wasn't there.
A former transfer from Morehead State, where he spent the first two years of his career, Morton averaged 25 minutes per game, becoming a staple in coach David Riley's lineups. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Morton's size made him a versatile defender and rebounder, which the Cougars benefited from in big ways.
Morton becomes the 10th Cougar to hit the portal this offseason, joining forwards ND Okafor, Eemeli Yalaho and Emmanuel Ugbo, and guards Ace Glass, Tomas Thrastarson, Ri Vavers, Kase Wynott, Parker Gerrits and Brunel Mazdou (redshirted). Morton, Glass, Okafor, Thrastarson and Yalaho were all regular starters, meaning Riley and coaches will have to replace their entire starting lineup for a second straight offseason.
WSU is also losing point guard Adria Rodriguez, who is headed back to his home country of Spain on a professional contract, and forward Simon Hildebrandt has exhausted his eligibility, a source confirmed to The Spokesman-Review. In total, that's 11 departures for the Cougars, who are also awaiting a decision from star guard Ace Glass.
The Cougars' roster now consists of walk-on guard Dio Blakely (seven total minutes) and forward Dominik Robinson (redshirted).
The Cougars would be looking at yet another offseason of complete roster reconstruction. After the 2024 season, they lost their entire starting lineup as former coach Kyle Smith departed for the job at Stanford. And last spring, the same fate met WSU, which lost two starters to the portal, two to graduation and one to the NBA.
What do the Cougs' losses mean for the program? The most impactful losses belong to Glass, Morton, Okafor, Vavers and Thrastarson, all regular starters and meaningful contributors. Gerrits is a reserve guard, Wynott missed nearly the whole season with an injury after playing a key role in 22 games in 2024-25, and Ugbo was suspended for the final nine games of the season because of a protection order against him.
