Just a few months after his collegiate playing career ended, Ethan Morton is back on campus in a new role.

The former Butler basketball star on Friday was officially named the Illinois State Director of Basketball Operations for the Redbirds’ men’s basketball team. Morton graduated in the spring from Colorado State as a graduate senior after one year there, helping the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in March after four years at Purdue where he made the NCAA national championship game.

“I’m excited for the opportunity from Coach Pedon and the staff,” Morton said in an Illinois State news release. “It is great to be able to join a program that has an established culture and is on an upward trajectory. I’m ready to get to Bloomington/Normal and get to work with the basketball program.”

Morton scored a collegiate career high 11 points in CSU’s Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game win in March. That followed four years at Purdue, where he played in 132 games and made more NCAA Tournament appearances, including the title game in 2024.

Colorado State guard Ethan Morton shouts in celebration during a college men's basketball game this season. Submitted photo

Before that, he was a standout for the Golden Tornado who scored more than 2,000 points and became a top-100 recruit in the nation. The Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year in 2020 led Butler to a second-round PIAA Class 6A tournament win before the rest of the season was canceled at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Butler Eagle named him the No. 3 best male athlete from Butler County from the past 25 years in July, and the 2020 Tornado team was voted No. 22.

He told “Eye on Sports” in April he hoped to play overseas at some point or become a coach.

Morton did not reply to a text seeking comment at the time of publication.