Ethan Morton: Calling it Now...

[RossMackey]

Having a daughter at Villanova, I have witnessed firsthand what Collin Gillespie brings to the Wildcats:

*superior leader and distributor/initiator
*ability to consistently knock down 3s within the structure of the offense
* solid defender who makes opponents pay dearly at the FT line for their over-aggressiveness

IMO Ethan Morton has each of these qualities in spades, and his performance last night tells me Ethan is more than capable of becoming a more athletic version of Collin Gillespie for Purdue.

 

[Emartin70287]

Not seeing the comparison. I see a Mathias type that is bigger, but not the same tier shooter.

 

[Gemini95]

Thought at first you meant Ethan was going to have a daughter at Villanova. That would have been a very weird and long term prediction.

 

[SCBoiler1]

The big story to me is the resurgence of Hunter. Last 5 games he's averaging 7.2 points, is shooting 63%, 83% from 3, has 11 assist and 3 turnovers. That's a pretty amazing turnaround from what we had been seeing.

To me Morton is just Matt Painter reincarnated. He's about the same size. He's a sophomore and is averaging 2.7 points, 1,5 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Matt Painter stats his sophomore year were really close. (4.2/1.9/3.0). IMO he's on track to be more like a Matt Painter type player than anyone else. A strong leader with a limited ceiling.

 

[POTFHBTFU]

And to think we likely have three more years of him. I thinks he’s capable of being as good on ball defender as Nojel with his length and ability to stay in front of the ball handler. Where he lacks in quickness he makes up for in size. He’s got a decent stroke but not expecting Matthias caliber shooting. But I do think his true value is his passing. He’s not quite there yet but I see a ton of potential. He’s also not reluctant to get physical inside.
If I had to pick a Purdue player to compare him to it would be maybe Bruce Parkinson.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

The big story to me is the resurgence of Hunter. Last 5 games he's averaging 7.2 points, is shooting 63%, 83% from 3, has 11 assist and 3 turnovers. That's a pretty amazing turnaround from what we had been seeing.

To me Morton is just Matt Painter reincarnated. He's about the same size. He's a sophomore and is averaging 2.7 points, 1,5 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Matt Painter stats his sophomore year were really close. (4.2/1.9/3.0). IMO he's on track to be more like a Matt Painter type player than anyone else. A strong leader with a limited ceiling.

Stronger and better athlete than CMP was.

 

[TX4GB]

Stronger and better athlete than CMP was.

I don’t recall Gillespie, CMP, or Mathias doing anything like the dunk he had last weekend. Hard comparison to anyone right now. He is the man, the myth, the legend, Ethan Morton.

 

[ehuffma1]

I don’t recall Gillespie, CMP, or Mathias doing anything like the dunk he had last weekend. Hard comparison to anyone right now. He is the man, the myth, the legend, Ethan Morton.

View embedded media

I really like it when Morton gets into the lane. He can finish pretty decently at his size. He can also pass to an open 3. He's a good defender. He's strong enough right now, but I could see him getting to be much bigger as time goes on.

 

[SCBoiler1]

I really like it when Morton gets into the lane. He can finish pretty decently at his size. He can also pass to an open 3. He's a good defender. He's strong enough right now, but I could see him getting to be much bigger as time goes on.

LOL. Do you have some video of this?

He's made twelve 2 point baskets in 43 games and nearly all of his assist are feeding the post or passing the ball on around the perimeter for an open three point shot.

Nothing wrong with the way he's playing and I'm glad he's on our side but lets not post something just because we wish it existed

 

[Level 42]

LOL. Do you have some video of this?

It's literally in this thread.

 

[SCBoiler1]

I don’t recall Gillespie, CMP, or Mathias doing anything like the dunk he had last weekend. Hard comparison to anyone right now. He is the man, the myth, the legend, Ethan Morton.

View embedded media

Wow! He's 6'6" and has one dunk in 43 games.

Meanwhile Gillespie has scored in double digits 4 straight years.

 

[SCBoiler1]

It's literally in this thread.

Too funny. You mean the dunk on a fast break off of the feed from Thompson. That's not getting into the lane. He made a cut and Thompson hit him. He didn't even dribble.

 

[Level 42]

Too funny. You mean the dunk on a fast break off of the feed from Thompson. That's not getting into the lane. He made a cut and Thompson hit him. He didn't even dribble.

 

[SCBoiler1]

And to think we likely have three more years of him. I thinks he’s capable of being as good on ball defender as Nojel with his length and ability to stay in front of the ball handler. Where he lacks in quickness he makes up for in size. He’s got a decent stroke but not expecting Matthias caliber shooting. But I do think his true value is his passing. He’s not quite there yet but I see a ton of potential. He’s also not reluctant to get physical inside.
If I had to pick a Purdue player to compare him to it would be maybe Bruce Parkinson.

I wonder if he'll be first team all B10 defender this year like Nojel was as a sophomore?

And are you referring to the Bruce Parkinson who was 6'2", started every game he played at Purdue and averaged 9.7 points, 6.1 assist and 5 rebounds a game as a freshmen and was first team all b10 his junior year? Or was there another Bruce Parkinson you were thinking of?

 

[SCBoiler1]

Don't be to hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.

 

[Level 42]

Don't be to hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.

You're a little slow aren't ya.

 

[BoilerDeac]

You're a little slow aren't ya.

You love personally attacking other posters, don't ya?

 

[TX4GB]

Wow! He's 6'6" and has one dunk in 43 games.

Meanwhile Gillespie has scored in double digits 4 straight years.

I said he didn’t compare to Gillespie. I know all about him, thanks.

 

[bonefish1]

I wonder if he'll be first team all B10 defender this year like Nojel was as a sophomore?

And are you referring to the Bruce Parkinson who was 6'2", started every game he played at Purdue and averaged 9.7 points, 6.1 assist and 5 rebounds a game as a freshmen and was first team all b10 his junior year? Or was there another Bruce Parkinson you were thinking of?

I think EM is a decent defender, but he's nowhere near what Nojel was. NE was big, fast and loved playing D.

 

[ehuffma1]

LOL. Do you have some video of this?

He's made twelve 2 point baskets in 43 games and nearly all of his assist are feeding the post or passing the ball on around the perimeter for an open three point shot.

Nothing wrong with the way he's playing and I'm glad he's on our side but lets not post something just because we wish it existed

EM is a role player. I am not saying he's an AA. He doesn't try to do to much and so there fore he makes an occasional really good play. He's one of our best defenders and gives great effort. The guy shows some flashes. How would you describe him?

 

[ImRonBurgandy?]

I really like it when Morton gets into the lane. He can finish pretty decently at his size. He can also pass to an open 3. He's a good defender. He's strong enough right now, but I could see him getting to be much bigger as time goes on.

I'd like to see him look to score more when in the lane. He seems to look to pass first even when he's less than 10ft from the hoop.

 

[Poprudy]

Don't be to hard on yourself. We all make mistakes.

You do know where the lane is in basketball??? Sorry, but your response made his meme perfect.

 

[bonefish1]

I'd like to see him look to score more when in the lane. He seems to look to pass first even when he's less than 10ft from the hoop.

He's definitely been looking to score more, but he almost broke the backboard on that 8 footer last night.

 

[Aamesker]

He's definitely been looking to score more, but he almost broke the backboard on that 8 footer last night.

he definitely got caught in two minds of to shoot or pass to Tre

 

[POTFHBTFU]

I wonder if he'll be first team all B10 defender this year like Nojel was as a sophomore?

And are you referring to the Bruce Parkinson who was 6'2", started every game he played at Purdue and averaged 9.7 points, 6.1 assist and 5 rebounds a game as a freshmen and was first team all b10 his junior year? Or was there another Bruce Parkinson you were thinking of?

Your a bit testy today, you didn’t have your coffee did you?

I said he was capable of it. He’s certainly not as quick but he’s probably our best on ball defender on our current team and basically a redshirt freshman.

Comparing styles of play yes I’m comparing style of play to that Bruce Parkinson. And I’m not the first or second one to do that on these boards. Is he as good when Bruce was in his second year? Absolutely not. Painter said he was the best passer he ever recruited and that was Bruce’s claim to fame. Yes Bruce was maybe 3” shorter than Morton but he was pretty tall for a point guard back in the day.

 

[PaBoiler78]

Your a bit testy today, you didn’t have your coffee did you?

I said he was capable of it. He’s certainly not as quick but he’s probably our best on ball defender on our current team and basically a redshirt freshman.

Comparing styles of play yes I’m comparing style of play to that Bruce Parkinson. And I’m not the first or second one to do that on these boards. Is he as good when Bruce was in his second year? Absolutely not. Painter said he was the best passer he ever recruited and that was Bruce’s claim to fame. Yes Bruce was maybe 3” shorter than Morton but he was pretty tall for a point guard back in the day.

right now, his role reminds me of Herb Dove but w/ an outside shot

 

[purduepat1969]

And to think we likely have three more years of him. I thinks he’s capable of being as good on ball defender as Nojel with his length and ability to stay in front of the ball handler. Where he lacks in quickness he makes up for in size. He’s got a decent stroke but not expecting Matthias caliber shooting. But I do think his true value is his passing. He’s not quite there yet but I see a ton of potential. He’s also not reluctant to get physical inside.
If I had to pick a Purdue player to compare him to it would be maybe Bruce Parkinson.

Not even close to CMP as a player....

 

[POTFHBTFU]

Not even close to CMP as a player....

I didn’t say anything about CMP. I was talking about style of play with Parkinson if that is what you mean.

 

[DAG10]

For a guy that does not get a ton of minutes, he plays with confidence...which is a good thing. The guy has had success...the guy has skills...and, when Painter goes out on a limb to make a statement about a particular player (as he has with Morton more than once), he generally tends to be right.

I have always been a fan of Morton...I am glad that he has contributed and had some success. I think he generally knows his role and plays within it.

He is a good passer in general...he is good in transition...he has shot better than I expected from the perimeter...and, he has had a couple of nice buckets off of drives.

I personally think his defense is overrated...I see the ability and potential, but, I think it is overrated at the moment. What I really like though is his commitment to being good at that end...the desire to be good at that end...and, he is ALWAYS talking to Painter or coaches about things at that end.

I like his versatility as well...I mean, he was recruited a a PG, but, plays the 4 more than anything, yet, can handle the ball and can distribute the ball.

He is a guy that had more questions than answers coming in, but, has found his way to the floor consistently...he has generally capitalized on opportunities that he has been given.

He has provided some meaningful minutes for Purdue...and, I think that will only be more the case moving forward and as he gets even more comfortable and more confident.

 

[Aamesker]

I personally think his defense is overrated...I see the ability and potential, but, I think it is overrated at the moment. What I really like though is his commitment to being good at that end...the desire to be good at that end...and, he is ALWAYS talking to Painter or coaches about things at that end.

Maybe a little? But prior to the last 3-4 games he was the most engaged perimeter defender on the team and just got the unfortunate assignment of trying to slow down Harper, Davis etc. when they had already gotten hot. He's got the 3rd most steals on the team so there is some merit to his defensive capabilities

 

[POTFHBTFU]

For a guy that does not get a ton of minutes, he plays with confidence...which is a good thing. The guy has had success...the guy has skills...and, when Painter goes out on a limb to make a statement about a particular player (as he has with Morton more than once), he generally tends to be right.

I have always been a fan of Morton...I am glad that he has contributed and had some success. I think he generally knows his role and plays within it.

He is a good passer in general...he is good in transition...he has shot better than I expected from the perimeter...and, he has had a couple of nice buckets off of drives.

I personally think his defense is overrated...I see the ability and potential, but, I think it is overrated at the moment. What I really like though is his commitment to being good at that end...the desire to be good at that end...and, he is ALWAYS talking to Painter or coaches about things at that end.

I like his versatility as well...I mean, he was recruited a a PG, but, plays the 4 more than anything, yet, can handle the ball and can distribute the ball.

He is a guy that had more questions than answers coming in, but, has found his way to the floor consistently...he has generally capitalized on opportunities that he has been given.

He has provided some meaningful minutes for Purdue...and, I think that will only be more the case moving forward and as he gets even more comfortable and more confident.

He has the highest DBPM and steal % on the team as a redshirt freshman. Has had some tough assignments and I stand by my statement he is our best on the ball defender. That’s not saying much though, we have no lock down defenders like we have have at the guard position in the past. But he’s basically a redshirt freshman, I’m excited to see where he will be over the next few years. I also think he’s our best pure passer in terms of ball security. Trevion is a better passer but when you qualify with ball security Morton has him. FYI - before I hear it... He’s tied with IT with fewest turnovers per 40 minutes despite 80% more assists per 40. His assists to turnovers is excellent.

 

[DAG10]

He has the highest DBPM and steal % on the team as a redshirt freshman. Has had some tough assignments and I stand by my statement he is our best on the ball defender. That’s not saying much though, we have no lock down defenders like we have have at the guard position in the past. But he’s basically a redshirt freshman, I’m excited to see where he will be over the next few years. I also think he’s our best pure passer in terms of ball security. Trevion is a better passer but when you qualify with ball security Morton has him. FYI - before I hear it... He’s tied with IT with fewest turnovers per 40 minutes despite 80% more assists per 40. His assists to turnovers is excellent.

Yeah, I should have qualified my statement...as, to your point, he is the best on the ball defender that Purdue has...but, you followed that up accurately as well...he might be Purdue's best defender, but, Purdue is not very good defensively, and, even less so by Purdue's standards.

I like him...I liked him coming in...he got held back a year ago by not being able to get on campus early, then being sick...but, he has taken advantage largely of opportunities given to him this year.

He is heady for sure...at both ends...you can see when he is on the floor at either end that he is taking everything in and trying to be a step or read ahead.

I definitely like his potential...again, at both ends...I think he could develop into a really solid guy at the defensive end, and, I think he can be an asset on the offensive end as well.

 

[LedZep17]

He's definitely been looking to score more, but he almost broke the backboard on that 8 footer last night.

That definitely was groan-worthy, but it's still a confidence/decisiveness thing with him when he gets pressured inside the arc. But like you said, he's looking to score and that's a welcome sight... he used to not even look to take that shot and would want to immediately pass it off. His confidence in taking and burying an open outside shot and playing in system offensively and defensively is what has grown tremendously. He looks comfortable in the role Painter has asked him to play this year, which is good, but I'm glad he's testing himself with becoming more aggressive.

 

[SCBoiler1]

EM is a role player. I am not saying he's an AA. He doesn't try to do to much and so there fore he makes an occasional really good play. He's one of our best defenders and gives great effort. The guy shows some flashes. How would you describe him?

Your description here is pretty good. I think he's steady but sometimes looks a little tentative on offense. He plays decent defense and we don't need him to score so he's playing his role just fine.

The original post was comparing him to Collin Gillespie who was Big East player of the year last year and second team Big East the year before that. Then someone compared him to Bruce Parkinson who was 6'2" and was nearly a double digit scorer as a freshman, averaged around 6 assist a game each of his 4 years and started every game he played in at Purdue. In 2012 Bleacher Report had him as the 10th best Boiler of all time.

I guess anything can happen.

 

[SCBoiler1]

He has the highest DBPM and steal % on the team as a redshirt freshman. Has had some tough assignments and I stand by my statement he is our best on the ball defender. That’s not saying much though, we have no lock down defenders like we have have at the guard position in the past. But he’s basically a redshirt freshman, I’m excited to see where he will be over the next few years. I also think he’s our best pure passer in terms of ball security. Trevion is a better passer but when you qualify with ball security Morton has him. FYI - before I hear it... He’s tied with IT with fewest turnovers per 40 minutes despite 80% more assists per 40. His assists to turnovers is excellent.

Why do you say he's a redshirt freshman? I know he can use the Covid year but none of our seniors are next year.. He's also old for a Sophomore. He'll be 21 in a couple of months. If he stays three more years he'll graduate at the age of 24. Not saying he won't but has it been announced that he's going to play the extra year? I think that would be something you would just wait and see how its going your senior year before you decide.

 

[samcboiler]

Having a daughter at Villanova, I have witnessed firsthand what Collin Gillespie brings to the Wildcats:

*superior leader and distributor/initiator
*ability to consistently knock down 3s within the structure of the offense
* solid defender who makes opponents pay dearly at the FT line for their over-aggressiveness

IMO Ethan Morton has each of these qualities in spades, and his performance last night tells me Ethan is more than capable of becoming a more athletic version of Collin Gillespie for Purdue.

IMHO Ethan should be the starting PG and if so could help us go far in the tournament. This guy is just starting to blossom and when he is on the court we are a much better team. Did you notice how he helped beat the press against Iowa? Not bringing it up, but receiving passes and calmly distributing to others. I love IT and EH is coming on but our FUTURE is with ETHAN !!! And the future is right now... He is a 4 star player and Mr. Basketball from PA for a good reason. On another note, I'm disappointed in CMP for sitting Newman 2 out of the last 3 games. Give him 5-10 minutes because we are going to need him at some point this season and I don't want to see him transfer. Great win last night. Go Boilers !!!

 

[SCBoiler1]

Your a bit testy today, you didn’t have your coffee did you?

I said he was capable of it. He’s certainly not as quick but he’s probably our best on ball defender on our current team and basically a redshirt freshman.

Comparing styles of play yes I’m comparing style of play to that Bruce Parkinson. And I’m not the first or second one to do that on these boards. Is he as good when Bruce was in his second year? Absolutely not. Painter said he was the best passer he ever recruited and that was Bruce’s claim to fame. Yes Bruce was maybe 3” shorter than Morton but he was pretty tall for a point guard back in the day.

You said "If I had to pick a Purdue player to compare him to it would be maybe Bruce Parkinson."

That's like me saying about Gillis "If I had to pick a Purdue player to compare him to it would be maybe the Big Dog" Because they are both forwards and both shoot/shot three pointers pretty well. Yeah one averaged 3 or 4 times the number of points and one is the greatest player in Purdue basketball history but .....

The thing is that I believe Morton is playing his role just fine but before last nights game he had score 2 points in the last 4 games. I'm not out here trying to dog him out because we need him to keep playing well and he's a better fit for this team than Newman right now. I just think people get a little carried away.

 

[SCBoiler1]

You do know where the lane is in basketball??? Sorry, but your response made his meme perfect.

When someone says "I really like it when Morton gets into the lane. He can finish pretty decently at his size. He can also pass to an open 3."

It doesn't sound like they are talking about catching a pass on a secondary break and making a dunk. It sounds like they are talking about driving to the basket off the dribble and either finishing or kicking the ball out if a defender steps in to stop him. Kind of like Ivey does or half the B10 guards we've played against this year. I think I've seen Morton do this once or twice the entire year.

 

[Poprudy]

Gillis has a body of Todd Mitchell. Not as athletic but Todd couldn't shoot like Gillis either. In today's game, I like Gillis and I loved Todd.

 

[Kelkel1972]

Not seeing the comparison. I see a Mathias type that is bigger, but not the same tier shooter.

Mathias was needed more. DO you think this team actually needs Morton scoring big? We already have 3 to 4 averaging in double figures and MOrton is HUGE in other areas.