Scoring average, down.
Assists, up.
Wild shots, down.
Smart passes, up.
Frustrating losses, down.
Championship victories, up.
That's the shorthand on Isaiah Morton's senior season at St. Augustine Prep.
The 5-foot-8 guard broadened his game, played with greater control, and involved more of his teammates in the offense. He still rose up in big moments, and that's why he is The Inquirer's South Jersey player of the year in boys' basketball.
But the shorthand doesn't tell the whole story of Morton's progress from an eighth-grade phenom new to South Jersey to the senior leader of the only area team to win a state title this season.
"He took the hard road," St. Augustine coach Paul Rodio said. "So many kids these days take the easy road."
Morton grew up in Coney Island, N.Y. He was a top youth basketball player, and his family was close to the families of Brooklyn legends and NBA players Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair.
Morton moved with his family to Williamstown as an eighth grader. His father, Omar, runs a church in Vineland.
When Morton entered St. Augustine as a freshman, he was a talented but erratic player. He sometimes clashed with older teammates.
Morton averaged 16.4 points as a freshman, 17.9 as a sophomore, and 24.3 as a junior. But all that scoring didn't add up to anything in terms of conference or sectional titles.
That changed this season. Morton still had his flamboyant moments, but he worked hard to spread the wealth on offense. His unselfish play helped fellow senior Charlie Monaghan develop into a consistent inside presence, and inspired the rest of the Hermits to play with more confidence.
Morton's scoring average was down to 21.1 points. But if the true measure of a senior lead guard is the success of the team, Morton put together a spectacular season as the Hermits compiled a 28-3 record while capturing the overall Cape-Atlantic League crown as well as the Non-Public A state title.
"I knew I had to be a little more unselfish," said Morton, whose team lost Friday in the Tournament of Champions semifinals. "I knew I had to get my teammates involved and that would make us a better team."
Morton played his best in the biggest games. He scored 25, including 14 in the final nine minutes, in the South A title game against Holy Spirit. He scored a season-high 30, including a clutch, three-point jumper with 2 minutes, 35 seconds remaining, in the state-title game against Seton Hall Prep.
"I always felt I was the best player in South Jersey," Morton said after the state final. "Hopefully, today I proved it."