Morton 'Blessed' to be Playing Basketball at Kentucky
Jerone Morton is no stranger to Kentucky basketball. He grew up in nearby Winchester, Kentucky, and has been a fan of the Wildcats his entire life.
So, when he was presented with a chance to come play for UK in the spring after stops at Morehead State and Washington State, Morton did not waste a lot of time in making a decision.
“I wanted to come to Kentucky,” Morton said. “That was obviously the dream. I was very highly interested for sure. I talked to the coaches, got out on a visit and that’s where my mind was.”
Morton gained notoriety playing for George Rogers Clark High School. He led the Cardinals to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Sweet 16 title in 2022 and was named tournament MVP. He gives a lot of credit to his high school head coach, Josh Cook, for teaching him how to win.
“Coach Cook does a good job of getting players ready for college,” Morton said. “The way he runs practices, the way he does scouting is just different. He wants to win, so he teaches players how to win at basketball. He did a good job with me, teaching me how to win basketball games and teaching me how to be a winner.”
People that saw Morton play in high school will recognize his game, although there is one area where he believes he has improved since his days at GRC.
“I can shoot the ball a lot better than I did when I was in high school,” Morton said. “But I’m mostly the same player. I can shoot the ball better now but besides that, I think I’m still the same guy.”
Now that he’s made it to Lexington, Morton has an idea of what his role will be on this year’s team – being a lock-down defender. It’s something he takes pride in doing.
“I just like to play as hard as I can,” Morton said. “I just feel like if you’re playing defense, that’s an easy way to stay on the court. I think if I play as hard as I can on defense and try to play the game right, that’s all I can do.”
His knowledge of the UK program and the Big Blue Nation puts Morton ahead of the curve. He knows what is expected of him and his teammates on and off the floor.
“When you put a Kentucky jersey on, it’s just another level of expectations,” Morton said. “Playing for the BBN is just different.”
Morton considers himself lucky to be playing for the team he cheered for while growing up not far from Lexington.
“Coming in here and being able to put on the jersey and practice every day is just a blessing,” Morton said. “Just playing for my dream school, it’s just a blessing.”
When asked who his favorite Kentucky players were when he was growing up in Winchester, Morton listed three very accomplished guards.
“(De’Aaron) Fox, Devin Booker, Malik Monk,” he said. “There’s a lot of players. I could keep going on and on.”
Morton is thankful to be able to put on the UK jersey and he’s looking forward to the 2026-27 season.
