During the recruitment of guard Isaiah Whitehead much was made about the impact that his coach at Lincoln HS, Dwayne “Tiny” Morton, would have on the process. With Morton, who led Lincoln to eight PSAL titles and three New York state titles during his time at the Coney Island school, looking to make the move to the Division I level himself the general feeling was that the two would come as a tandem.
And once Whitehead committed to Seton Hall, it came as no surprise that Morton eventually wound up on Kevin Willard’s coaching staff. What does come as a surprise in all of this is that Morton has stepped down from his assistant coaching position after just one season, with Zach Braziller of the New York Post reporting the news Saturday night.Sources said Morton expressed the desire to return to his old life a month ago in discussions with Willard, and the two spoke about it several times since. Morton worked well under Willard, sources said, but the grind of travel and constant drain of recruiting wore on him.
“It was definitely his choice,” a source said, referring to Morton.
Morton’s decision was one he made on his own according to the report, and it isn’t expected to have an impact on Whitehead’s status as he prepares for his sophomore campaign.
The 2014-15 season, which got off to a great start, turned out to be a tumultuous one for Seton Hall. Internal strife played a major role in the Pirates going from a team that was ranked in the Top 25 to not even playing in a postseason tournament. Willard also lost guard Jaren Sina midyear, as Sina decided to leave the program and ultimately transfer to George Washington, and fellow guard Sterling Gibbs joined the UConn program this summer as a grad student for his final season of eligibility.
With those struggles, and the fact that Willard has yet to lead the Pirates to the NCAA tournament since taking over in 2010, the 2015-16 season is a big one for Seton Hall. The next question is who fills Morton’s spot on the staff, with multiple outlets reporting that former Seton Hall center (and current Fairleigh Dickinson assistant) Grant Billmeier is the favorite to do so.
