Jon Rush’s first four years as head men’s basketball coach at Morton College rank among the most successful in school history.
His 76 wins only trails Frank Lollino Jr. (2007-11) and Rick Kilby (1987-91), who both won 79 games, for the most wins in their first four seasons at 38th and Central.
In addition, Rush has directed the Panthers to four winning seasons in his four years. The only coach in Morton College to have more consecutive winning seasons from the onset is George Lageroff, the program’s first coach. Lageroff directed the Panthers to six straight winning seasons in his first six seasons from 1924 to 1930.
Rush also has guided the Panthers to three consecutive first division finishes in the Skyway Conference, capped with a co-championship in 2024-25 where Morton College finished 12-2. It was the Panthers’ first Skyway crown since 2018-19.
Under Rush, seven Panthers have moved on to play at four-year schools with Dre Nobles (NCAA Division II Hawaii-Hilo), El Sieger (NAIA Shawnee State), Nathanael Lewis (NCAA Division II Southern Wesleyan), Kedric Anderson (NAIA Indiana-Kokomo), Matas Deksnys (NCAA Division II Davenport), Jaylen Montgomery (NCAA Division II Roosevelt) and Kameron Hedge (NAIA Huston-Tillotson).
While Rush takes pride in seeing his players on the rosters at four-year schools, his main priority is the academic end. He’s a familiar face at Morton College’s Commencement ceremony, supporting the players on receiving their associate degrees.
“(Academics) is where it all starts,” said Rush, who started as an assistant in the program during the 2021-22 season. “We don’t solely recruit students who have challenges academically. Our staff is here to put these young men in a position to be accepted into four-year programs. We are looking for student-athletes willing to commit to our school and program, while also taking a chance on themselves.”
Rush’s ideal perfect Panther team is one that plays hard, is solid defensively and can rebound.
“Team defense is something we will take pride in,” Rush said. “Our roster will allow us to have some versatility on both ends of the floor.”
Rush, who studied business administration and sports management at Lewis University, is the Alternative Intervention Supervisor at Downers Grove North High School. Rush is a Downers North graduate, where he participated in basketball, football, track and field and fine arts.
He also is the owner of T.R.A.P. Basketball and was handpicked by Chris Paul and his executive board to be part of the 11-time NBA All-Star’s Rising Stars program. He’s also the Director of Basketball Operations for the Mercury Elite.
Rush was also was an assistant at Downers North when the Trojans were conference and regional champions. He worked his way up the program, winning two conference titles at the freshman level and at the sophomore level.
Rush also worked as a student manager for Scott Trost at Lewis University from 2008 to 2011. Lewis, an NCAA Division II, scored an impressive win over NCAA Division I DePaul in the 2010-11 season. The Flyers also took on NCAA Division I programs like Bradley, UIC, Illinois and Notre Dame during Rush’s time at Lewis.
