Story Courtesy Bill Salyer, Illinois State Athletics
The Illinois State men’s basketball program has announced the promotion of a staff member and the hiring of another. Previous Director of Basketball Operations Jack Betz has been promoted to Chief of Staff, while former Purdue and Colorado State standout Ethan Morton has been added to the staff in the Director of Basketball Operations role.
Betz, who came to ISU as a graduate assistant coach in 2022, was promoted to Director of Basketball Operations in 2024, and now to Chief of Staff.
Morton comes to ISU after five seasons of college basketball, four as a member of the Purdue Boilermakers, and his fifth and final season at Colorado State in 2024-25.
“I’m excited for the opportunity from Coach Pedon and the staff,” said Morton. “It is great to be able to join a program that has an established culture and is on an upward trajectory. I’m ready to get to Bloomington/Normal and get to work with the basketball program.”
The former consensus top-100-rated recruit out of Butler Area High School in Butler, Pennsylvania, he played four seasons at Purdue, playing in 132 games, including in the 2023-24 NCAA Championship Game. Last season he played in 35 games for Colorado State, helping lead the Rams into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Over his five years of college basketball, teams he played on had a 136-39 record (77.7 winning percentage).
“I have known Ethan Morton and his family for a long time, and I am very excited about adding him to our staff,” said Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon. “Ethan is a winner and has won at each of his stops as a player. He has been an integral part of teams that have won two regular season championships, two conference tournament championships and have been a part of five NCAA Tournament appearances. In addition to his success, Ethan has played for two coaches in Matt Painter (Purdue) and Niko Medved (Colorado State) that I have a ton of respect for. He will be a great addition to our staff and will help us as we continue our climb.”