Morton headed to Spain
BUTLER TWP — Butler graduate Ethan Morton will soon be expanding his basketball horizons in Spain — and hopes to expand his basketball minutes at Purdue.
The Boilermakers’ 6-foot-6 junior guard is joining Purdue teammate Brandon Newman with the USA East Coast Basketball team, a collection of collegiate players who will participate in a four-game showcase in Barcelona during the first two weeks of August.
Barcelona is home to the Europe Basketball Academy and Euroleague headquarters.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for me,” Morton said. “Coach (Matt) Painter picks a couple of Purdue players every year to make this trip. It’s a chance to get on the floor with and against great players at a time when I’d otherwise be pretty idle when it comes to basketball.
“Coach likes to send two players who had not gotten a lot of minutes (with Purdue) so far. I’m treating this as a big step toward getting back to the type of player I was in high school.”
Morton averaged 14.8 minutes per game for Purdue last season,.seeing action in all 37 of the team’s games. He sank 15 of 34 3-point shots on the year and played a key role — scoring eight points, grabbing two rebounds and blocking two shots — in the Boilermakers’ NCAA Tournament win over Texas that landed them in the Sweet 16.
Morton tallied 50 assists and had only 17 turnovers last season, one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios on the team. Purdue finished 29-8.
He said he talked to a previous Purdue player who played in this Spain basketball event — Sasha Stefanovic — who told him the team played against national “B” level teams from Italy and Germany.
“But who we’ll be playing against over there, I have no idea,” Morton said.
Purdue’s top three scorers from last season — Jaden Ivey, Trevion Williams and Stefanovic, who all averaged in double figures — will not be back. All three have a shot at pro basketball, with Ivey figuring to be a top-five NBA draft choice. Two other players, Eric Hunter and Isaiah Thompson, have transferred to Butler and Florida Gulf Coast, respectively.
“We’ve lost a lot and no one is expecting much from us now in terms of the Big Ten,” Morton said. “You expect that, given the talent that’s gone, but we are a hungry bunch. We have to prove ourselves as players at this level and that includes me.”
Morton said his goal is to crack the starting lineup next season, but admits it won’t be easy.
“We’re bringing in transfers for guard depth and there’s a good crop of freshmen coming in,” he said. “There will always be intense competition for playing time here. That’s the kind of program Purdue has.
“I enjoyed my first two seasons here, for sure, but they weren’t the type of seasons I’m accustomed to personally. Coach Painter lets the players sort out the lineup and their roles by what we show on the floor. That’s challenging and I’m looking forward to it.
“Choosing me as one of the guys to go to Spain to play ... I treat that as a good sign,” Morton added.
