West Virginia women’s basketball coach Mike Carey announces the addition of Jessica Morton to the 2014-15 roster.

 

“We are very excited to have a player of her caliber. Jessica is going to give us much-needed scoring from the perimeter,” Carey says. “She is a combo guard that can play several positions and can score. The other things I really like about her is that she likes to play defense and is a leader on the floor. We’re very excited about her.”

 

Morton is a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard out of Gulf Coast State College. She guided the Commodores to a 21-7 overall record last season, making it to the 2014 FCSAA Semifinals. Morton started all 28 games, leading her team with 16.4 points per game and was the fourth-leading rebounder with 5.6 boards per game. She closed out her sophomore season as a two-time All-Panhandle First Team Conference Selection and was named to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VII All-State Team each season with Gulf Coast.

 

As a freshman, Morton averaged 15.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as the Commodores’ leading rebounder. She earned 26 starts in 31 games, helping Gulf Coast to a 28-6 overall record, and a share of the Panhandle Conference Regular-Season title.

 

 “I’m really proud of where Jess has come from in her development on and off the court,” Gulf Coast Coach Vernette Skeete says. “She has an unlimited amount of potential and we’re excited that she’s going to a place like West Virginia because over the course of the years, Mike Carey has kept his kids in the top 25 and they’ve all graduated. Those are the same things that drive and push a kid like Jessica Morton to be successful.”

 

All-Star Girl’s Report ranks Morton as the 12th-best junior college player nationally, while Dan Olson’s Collegiate Girls Basketball Report lists Morton as the 10th-best juco player nationally. Morton joins Gulf Coast teammate Kayla Montgomery on the Mountaineers’ roster, as Montgomery signed with West Virginia in November.

 

A native of Augusta, Ga., Morton was a four-year letter winner on the girls’ basketball team at Glenn Hills High, named 2009 4A All-State Honorable Mention.