Dwayne “Tiny” Morton is leaving his position as an assistant at Seton Hall and appears to be headed back to high school.
“I’m a teacher and I’m going back to teach,” Morton told SNY.tv by text Saturday night. “If Lincoln [High School] accepts me back, I will be honored. This is in no way a basketball thing.”
Prior to coming to Seton Hall in 2014, Morton was a math teacher at Shirley Tanyhill School and was the head boys basketball coach at Lincoln High School, both in Brooklyn.
On Monday, Seton Hall issued a press release with the following comments from head coach Kevin Willard and Morton.
“I want to thank Dwayne for his contributions to our program over the last year,” Willard said. “He is a terrific coach and mentor for student-athletes, and I understand that he feels his calling is back in teaching. I wish him all the best as he pursues his dream job.”
“I had a great experience at Seton Hall working with Coach Willard, my fellow assistant coaches and our student-athletes, but my passion for teaching is strong, and I feel that is where I should be,” Morton said. “I wish Seton Hall all the best and am excited to watch the program continue its rise.”
Morton’s son Trevonn Morton was on the Seton Hall roster last season as a walk-on and did not appear in any games. There is no reason to believe his status will change.
The New York Post first reported the story, adding that current Fairleigh Dickinson assistant and former Seton Hall big man Grant Billmeier could fill Morton’s role on the bench. Billmeier did not immediately respond to a text seeking comment.
Morton would be the second assistant to leave Willard’s staff since early 2014, when Oliver Antigua left to follow his brother Orlando to USF.
Seton Hall also saw guards Sterling Gibbs (UConn) and Jaren Sina (George Washington) transfer in the offseason after multiple reports of locker room strife.
Still, the Pirates return a solid core in former Lincoln star Isaiah Whitehead, his former Lincoln teammate Desi Rodriguez, Big East Rookie of the Year Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington. They have also added several newcomers, including former UMass guard Derrick Gordon, incoming wing Veer Singh and Fresno State transfer Braeden Andreson.
Morton came to Seton Hall last fall in what was widely perceived as a package deal with Whitehead, a former McDonald’s All-American who will be a sophomore this season.
“Coach Willard is a guy who’s hungry,” Morton said in 2013, shortly after Whitehead chose Seton Hall over St. John’s and others. “He didn’t win any championships so he’s going to probably do what he’s gotta do to make sure everybody is successful.”
Lincoln moved on without Whitehead under the guidance of Kenny Pretlow and assistant James Barrett.
It remains unclear how the staff at Lincoln will look going forward.
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