Mark Pope has landed a Lexington native guard in the transfer portal

Kentucky has added another guard via the transfer portal.

Feb 10, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Jerone Morton (11) brings the ball up court against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

Mark Pope has already landed two really good guards in the transfer portal in Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins but knowing the entire backcourt from last year is gone, Pope needed to add more guards. Well, he did just that this evening as Washington State transfer guard Jerone Morton just picked the Kentucky Wildcats.

Morton is a Lexington native who went to GRC in Winchester for high school. After high school, Morton spent two seasons playing for Morehead State before transferring to Washington State for the 2025-26 season. This year for the Cougars, Morton averaged 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game.

It’s official, Jerone Morton (@MortonJerone) is coming home. pic.twitter.com/ZR5G50aHaF

— UK Sports Network (@UKSportsNetwork) April 29, 2026

Morton shot 43.8% from the field and 38.7% from three. Morton shot 2.5 from deep this year in the WCC, so he is a really good shooter from deep. A lot of Kentucky fans are still sour right now about missing on Tyran Stokes and aren’t excited about this addition, but given what Morton’s role will be, he is a really good fit.

Fans have to remember that Morton isn’t coming here to play 30 minutes a game. He is coming here to come off the bench for Wilkins and Diallo and give great minutes. Every team needs to have a few good role players, and Morton is going to be that guy for the Wildcats this year.

This addition is similar in my mind to the addition of Justin McBride. The JMU transfer has a great offensive upside and will be a perfect backup four for the Wildcats. Having backups who know their role and can play it at a high-level lead to wins, and that is what Pope has in Morton and McBride.

Jan 15, 2026; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars guard Jerone Morton (11) controls the ball against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second half at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

There is no question that Pope has to go out and find his star player, but once he does that, this team has some really good pieces. The Wildcats star player, it seems, will need to either be a player from outside of the United States or a player pulling out of the NBA Draft. This is starting to be a concern for Big Blue Nation, but Pope still has some avenues to find a star.

It is great to have a Kentucky native back in Lexington to play for the Wildcats, and Morton definitely is going to have a lot of folks within the city cheering for him. Morton was a great depth addition by Coach Pope.

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