Confidence grows on defensive end for Purdue basketball's Ethan Morton

WEST LAFAYETTE – Ethan Morton has the size, he’s athletic, understands what’s going on defensively and features the right mentality to play at a high level on that end of the floor.

But the 6-foot-7 Morton received a nudge at the start of the 2021-22 season when assistant coach Brandon Brantley presented the case.

“Last year, I sort of realized at the beginning when coach B said I could be a good defender,” Morton recalled.

But Morton wasn’t completely convinced.

“You’ll have to say that again,” Morton told Brantley. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

Morton had his moments last season but not enough as the Boilermakers struggled defensively from start to finish. However, this year has been different for Morton and top-ranked Purdue on the defensive end as the group continues its pursuit of a Big Ten championship Thursday at Michigan (9 p.m., Fox Sports 1).

One of those moments last season was defending Texas’ Marcus Carr in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Milwaukee. That performance provided a springboard for Morton heading into this season where his defensive approach has helped the Boilermakers put together the best start in program history at 19-1.

‘HE KNOWS WHAT’S GOING ON’

Morton reminds Brantley of former Purdue standout Dakota Mathias, who was always “locked in” on the defensive end.

“He knows what’s going on,” Brantley said of Morton. “He locks into a scouting report, and he knows what the other team is going to do. He’ll know the tendencies of the player he’s guarding, and that’s part of it. We’ve seen athletic guys come in and couldn’t defend worth a damn. Athleticism doesn’t mean you’re going to be a good defender. You have to know what’s going on.”

And Morton knows what’s about to happen. Just ask his teammates.

“Whether it’s a practice or a walkthrough, he’s calling out stuff that we haven’t seen on film,” freshman Fletcher Loyer said. “It’s pretty impressive the amount of knowledge he has about it and how hard he plays defensively.”

Although programmed as an offensive player before arriving at Purdue, Morton has embraced the idea as developing into a top-notch defender.

“Coming from a dude that never played man in high school that much. It’s been challenging but also a fun challenge,” Morton said. 

He helped cool off Penn State’s Jalen Pickett in the second half of the Jan. 8 win in Philadelphia. He forced Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh to work for his 21 points, and the freshman sensation needed 17 shots and all his field goals were from 2-point range.

“That’s how basketball is played,” Morton said. “You encourage people to make tough 2s and shake their hand when they make them. That’s sort of the approach.”

He didn’t allow Davidson’s Foster Loyer – Fletcher’s older brother – to find his shooting touch in December and helped keep Maryland’s leading scorer Jahmir Young under wraps with a 4 of 18 shooting game Sunday.

“He’s done a great job this year guarding some tough guys and he continues to get better,” Brantley said.

Michigan State’s Tyson Walker torched the Boilermakers for 30 points nearly two weeks ago as Morton chased the senior around the Breslin Center. Walker hit 2s and 3s, nearly pulling out the victory for the Spartans but Zach Edey converted the game-winning basket.

‘UNDERAPPRECIATED’

And it was Edey who said after the Penn State victory that Morton is “underappreciated” for what he does for the Boilermakers. Against the Nittany Lions, Morton didn’t take a shot but his contributions on the defensive end, limiting Picket to eight second-half points, didn’t go unnoticed by Edey.

Morton can defend perimeter players – both big and small guards – and has battled with power forwards occasionally on the block.

“He’s very intelligent on defense,” Edey said. “He rarely takes those gambled risks. He may not put up those defensive stats people look for – blocked shots, steals, rebounds.

“I don’t think defense is a stat-driven thing. People have me on those all-defensive teams and if you’re going to put me on anything like that, he needs to be there with me. He’s so important to our defense and everything we can do.”

Dating back to last season, Purdue has held opponents to 70 points or less in 21 straight games. Only Marquette and Minnesota have reached that mark this season and the Boilermakers have limited teams to fewer than 70 points in 12 straight games. 

Earning the label as a defensive stopper wasn’t his goal coming to Purdue from Pennsylvania. Morton still wants to shore up his offensive game and give the Boilermakers more on that end of the floor but also understands the role he’s carved out.

“I was offensive-minded coming out of high school,” Morton said. “It’s been different. As I’ve expressed before, it’s a challenge and it’s still a challenge for me every day. You always want to be better offensively – I’m being honest. I think I’ve struggled this year on the offensive side of the ball, and you always want more from yourself there but finding something that can keep me on the court has been important and that’s been defense.”

LEARNING FROM OTHERS

Morton has contributed offensively, but not with a ton of points.

He’s led the Boilermakers in assists six times and didn’t commit a turnover during a recent three-game stretch before registering two against Maryland. And don’t forget about the three games in Oregon when Morton totaled 19 assists and one turnover against West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke.

Morton draws confidence from Brantley along with assistants Paul Lusk and Terry Thompson, former assistant coach Steve Lutz and head coach Matt Painter, who told him “it’s hard to take a good defender off the floor.”

He also credits former Boilermaker Eric Hunter, Jr., who transferred to Butler after last season.

“If he wasn’t here and I wasn’t working out with him when I was younger – and that was a byproduct of COVID – I don’t know if I’m the player I am today, honestly,” Morton said. “If you’re playing hard and you’re giving effort, I think it hides a lot of things on defense and when you layer in the knowledge the coaches give for scouting reports, it makes it even better.”

And the key so far – and during the second half of the Big Ten season – is the Boilermakers maintaining and improving what they’ve built on the defensive end.

“It was refreshing to win some games at the beginning of the year when we didn’t shoot well,” Morton said. “If we defend, we’re always going to give ourselves a chance. It’s a good group that wants to be great at that end and take in what the coaches say and what we say to each other.”