Jake Morton - Men's Basketball Coach - East Carolina University Athletics

Jake Morton

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
mortonjaco22@ecu.edu
Phone:
(252) 737-4592

Jake Morton was hired as an assistant coach for the East Carolina men's basketball program in April of 2022.

Morton arrives in Greenville after helping the 2021-22 Jacksonville State squad to a 21-11 record, Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Gamecock coaching staff has averaged 20 wins per year since arriving in Jacksonville and has twice broken the record for the program's Division I single-season wins mark. Over the past five seasons, Jacksonville State has tallied 98 wins and appeared in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament each year. JSU is one of only three programs to qualify for the league's postseason in each of the last five seasons.

Morton helped guide the Gamecocks to a program-best 24 victories in 2018-19, breaking Jacksonville State's single-season wins total for a second year in a row. It marked the first time the program logged three-straight seasons with 20 or more wins since joining the Division I ranks. In addition, the 2018-19 season set a record-low for losses. Prior to the campaign, a JSU team had never finished a year with single digits in the loss column.

In 2017-18, Jacksonville State scored a then-record 23 wins with Morton's guidance. The Gamecocks qualified for their second national postseason tournament with a berth in the College Basketball Invitational. JSU claimed wins over Canisius and Central Arkansas in the first and quarterfinal rounds, respectively, on the way to its first ever wins in a major postseason tournament.

Morton's first season at Jacksonville State saw the program earn its first Division I title, first appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first 20-win season since 2003. After getting picked last in the OVC Preseason Poll, the Gamecocks rattled off consecutive wins over Southeast Missouri, Belmont and UT Martin as the No. 4 seed to win the tournament title. JSU proceeded to play Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Morton spent the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons on the sidelines at Coppin State under head coach Michael Grant. The Eagles ranked among the national leaders in three-point field goal percentage, turnovers forced and offensive rebounding.

From Baltimore, Morton went to Western Kentucky for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, helping take both of those Hilltopper teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Morton was at his alma mater in Coral Gables from 2008-11 when he helped the Hurricanes to three 20-win seasons and three postseason berths - including a win in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Before returning to Miami, Morton worked three seasons as an assistant coach at James Madison under head coach Dean Keener from 2005-07. Prior to joining the JMU staff, Morton was an assistant coach at St. Francis (Pa.) from 2001-04 and spent the 1999-2000 campaign at Division II Bowie State.

Morton's coaching career began in New York, where he served as a counselor and coach at the Five-Star Basketball Camp, which included future collegiate and NBA stars such as Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul.

Morton graduated from Miami in 1993 with a degree in general studies.