COLLEGE BASKETBALL : UNCERTAIN PROSPECTS : Jury of Pro Scouts Still Out on Future of Morton, Titans’ Marked Man

When Richard Morton’s college basketball career ends--possibly as soon as within a week--there will, of course, be some sadness. There probably also will be a measure of relief.

It’s not just that Cal State Fullerton has endured its first losing season since it went 4-23 in 1980-81, George McQuarn’s first season as coach. For Morton, the Titans’ final game probably will be the last time in his life he will play as a marked man--a high scorer on a weak team who draws the studious attention of every opponent he faces.

Every team Fullerton plays knows that Morton, a 6-foot 4-inch guard, is the Titans’ best scorer and that, apart from Henry Turner, the other Titans are no particular threat. The result is that Fullerton has seen a lot of special defenses this season, designed to put the clamps on Morton. The most common such defense, a box-and-one, calls for four players to play zone defense while one leeches onto Morton.

It’s a compliment to his ability that Morton could do without.

“They’re leaning on him and grabbing him,” McQuarn said. “And there’s always a fresh defender on him. In the conference, they have to do that. In the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn., they really know Richard Morton.”

Even Nevada Las Vegas, which is famous for its man-to-man defense, resorted to a box-and-one against Morton for part of one game.

It has made for a demanding season for Morton, who, like many players, has hopes of playing professionally. Before this season, he already had gained some national notice, particularly with a 35-point performance in the first round of last year’s National Invitation Tournament. The Titans lost to California, 72-68, but not before Morton sent the game into overtime with a last-second three-pointer to cap an outing that McQuarn called “a first-round NBA draft performance.”

Although this season he has become the second-leading scorer in Fullerton history--trailing only Leon Wood--it has not been a season that has boosted his prospects in the National Basketball Assn. draft.

“It’s in the back of my mind,” Morton said. “I do want to get drafted. That dream has always been in the back of my mind.”

With the season nearly over, it’s time for Morton to think about basketball after Fullerton. Opinions differ on his chances.

Playing on a struggling team is one problem. Another is his shooting percentage. One NBA scout, speaking anonymously, calls him one of the “very few legitimate pure shooters” in college basketball this season, grouping him with Mitch Richmond of Kansas State.

But Morton, who averages 21.5 points a game, is making only 44% of his shots. That, according to another NBA scout, is a problem.

“You look at a guy who has a reputation as a shooter, and you pick up the stats and he’s shooting 44%. Either he’s no shooter, or he’s having to force up a lot of shots.”

With Morton, it’s obvious that he is being forced to take more shots--and be less selective--than he might under different circumstances.

In past seasons, Morton shot 49, 48 and 44%.

“I was more picky on my shots in the past, and my percentage was up a lot more,” Morton said. “That’s what hurts. I’m taking a lot more shots than I want to take. Therefore, my percentage is not as high as I want.”

His three-point percentage (41%) is good but surprisingly close to his overall shooting percentage.

Morton worries that the number of shots he has been forced to take reflects badly on him.

“I’m kind of upset and hurt about that,” he said. “It makes me look like a guy who just likes to shoot a lot. Most of the time, I’m taking shots after a couple of other guys have passed them up. It swings around, and I have to take it.”

Some NBA scouts take that into consideration.

“He’s just had to try to do so much,” one said. “If he was in a Byron Scott role and could stand on the perimeter, he would look much better. But as it is, to take his shot he often has to drive. Then his weaknesses start to show.”

Another concern is his inconsistency. Always a streaky shooter, he has been particularly so this season. During January, there was a stretch in which he made just 15 of 62 shots in three games. Recently he had a stretch in which he made 50% of his shots.

“That could hurt him,” a scout said. “Nobody wants a shooter who’s there one day and not the next.”

Another weakness Morton is well aware of is his foot speed. It’s something he has worked on, in part to improve his defensive skills.

Another is his athleticism. One scout points out that he never has seen Morton jump off one foot.

An NBA general manager points to the contrast between his 84% free-throw average and his 44% field goal average, and doesn’t allow any consideration for Morton’s scoring responsibility.

“That tells you something is wrong. He can’t get away from people, and I don’t think playing on a bad team has anything to do with it.”

One of the more abrupt assessments this season came from Billy Packer, the CBS analyst. John Rebenstorf, the Titan radio broadcaster, interviewed Packer after the Titans’ game against UNLV at Las Vegas. When asked what he thought of Morton, Packer said simply, “Not the player that I heard he was.”

Still, one scout called Morton a third-round draft pick. But another estimated him a fifth- to seventh-round pick, if he is drafted at all.

“He’s draftable, and in the right situation might get fortunate,” said the same scout. “But I don’t think he can play in the league.”

Morton’s chances may depend heavily on how he performs in postseason all-star games, and later, in an NBA camp. There’s one thing he can count on--there will be no box-and-ones designed for him there.

“I’m looking forward to that, hopefully being invited to a few camps so I can go out and show I can play,” Morton said. “I’d kind of like that situation, being the underdog. People don’t expect you to do this and that. Then when you show them you can play, they love the surprise.”