Stephenson's HS coach, 'Tiny' Morton, 'offended' by Yahoo accusation

Dwayne "Tiny" Morton, a former Seton Hall assistant who coached Stephon Marbury, Sebastian Telfair, former UC Bearcat Lance Stephenson, Isaiah Whitehead and Desi Rodriguez at New York City's Lincoln High School, told NYPost.com he's "offended" that Yahoo Sports reported Friday that he was on an agent's payroll, and that expense reports included an alleged payment to Morton of $9,500.

“The Yahoo reports are false about me receiving payments from Andy Miller,” said Morton, according to NYPost.com's Zach Braziller. “Furthermore, my relationship with Andy Miller began and ended with Sebastian Telfair.

“I’m more offended than anything because it’s not true. I got kids who look up to me. A lot of these people are just writing things they want to write.”

Morton left Lincoln High School to become an assistant coach at Seton Hall in 2014-15 before returning to Lincoln. He has referred to Stephenson, who played one season for the UC Bearcats in 2009-10 and now plays for the NBA's Indiana Pacers, as "the best I've ever had at Lincoln." 

Morton also mentioned Stephenson's name to zagsblog.com in addressing the recent allegations.

“Furthermore, my relationship with Andy Miller began and ended with Sebastian Telfair. As you are probably aware, [Lance] Stephenson never entertained Andy Miller and I expressed to [Isaiah] Whitehead’s parent that [Jeff Schwartz] would be a better option. I believe there is a misconception regarding me receiving any sort of monetary gains from NBA players or anyone else. As I have stated many times before, I never received a dime from anyone outside of my day job.”

Stephenson's name does not appear in the Yahoo report, which alleges that fellow Lincoln High alum Whitehead received thousands from ASM at Seton Hall. (According to Yahoo Sports, an ASM Sports balance sheet titled "Loan to Players" listed Whitehead as receiving $26,136 during his freshman year with the Pirates. Another document listed Whitehead as receiving $37,657 and stated he was "setting up payment plan.")

So where did a claim about Stephenson originate? (In other words, why mention Stephenson in denying allegations?)

New York Daily News' Mitch Abramson reported in 2009 that some believed Morton and Stephenson to be involved with Miller.

It's easy to find the rumors that have swirled around Morton, but thus far they have proven difficult to substantiate. One such nugget: that Tiny received money from Telfair's agent after the Portland Trail Blazers made Telfair the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Both Morton and the agent, Andy Miller, deny this rumor.

"I'm not (Morton's) agent," Miller says. "I never had that kind of relationship with Tiny."

More gossip: Morton received money from Miller for luring Stephenson, now a freshman at Cincinnati, to Lincoln, where, the logic went, Morton could then steer the talented swingman to Miller once Lance declared for the draft. Again, both men say it never happened that way.

"I would not play a role in grassroots basketball on that level in any shape or form, nor would I have interest in it," Miller says.

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