The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 33 2023 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE ACL tear costing him what was to be his first season in Tuscaloosa. Last year, he began the season as a starter, but didn't end that way, a wrist injury costing him nearly six weeks of action and his spot in the lineup. He did return prior to SEC Tournament action but didn't see the floor in the Tide's 82-63 win over Texas A&M in the title game. What happened next gives hope for better times in Ann Arbor. "In the SEC Tournament champion- ship game against Texas A&M, he didn't play at all. He wasn't hurt. It was just a coach's decision," noted Blake Byler, a re- porter for Bama Central. That wasn't the end of the March Madness story for the 6-foot-4 shooting guard. "Then he came out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and actually scored 11 points," Byler noted. "He went on a local radio show and talked about how his mindset is always to stay ready. He demonstrated that really well. He didn't stay down and he didn't pout about not playing in such a big game. "I never felt like there was any attitude problem or anything like that. He was al- ways a great guy to talk to. He always gave time to reporters, and on the court, his attitude was always great as well." Obviously, Burnett will be seeking big- ger and better contributions for the Wol- verines, along with a role reflecting his own progress. When healthy and maxi- mizing his skills, Byler believes Burnett has plenty to offer Juwan Howard and his Michigan crew. "At his best, Burnett can be a low dou- ble-digit scorer, maybe 10 or 11 points a game," Byler assessed. "His best shooting, he can probably shoot 37 or 38 percent for the season. And he definitely has the ability to be one of the better perimeter defenders, not only on the team but also in the conference." Alabama certainly harbored high hopes for the 190-pounder out of Chicago. ESPN tagged him with a five-star rating while he attended Prolific Prep High, and he con- nected on 88.9 percent of his free throws (32 of 36) as a freshman at Texas Tech. The debilitating injuries then began taking their toll, heavily impacting the last two seasons. "He was expected to play a big role on that 2021-22 team, and that was the Alabama team that ended up as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and got bounced in the first round by Notre Dame," Byler recalled. "It was a really up- and-down season." The torn ACL meant Burnett couldn't be a part of it, but last year things were looking up. "He actually began the season as the starting shooting guard," Byler said. Byler described Burnett as a "catch- and-shoot guy" on the offensive end. He shot just 17.4 percent on threes as a true freshman, but bounced that up to 32.1 percent after sitting out a year. "All offseason, [Alabama head coach] Nate Oats raved about his shooting, said he was one of the best shooters on the team in practice," Byler said. "He shot re- ally well from the corners and from the wings as kind of a spot-up guy. He really molded into a three-and-D kind of player. Before that injury, on the defensive side of the ball, he was one of the better perim- eter defenders on the Alabama team. "When Alabama went and played Houston on the road, Burnett was huge in slowing down [Houston guard] Marcus Sasser, who was an All-American. His pe- rimeter defense was really, really good. He has quick feet, long arms, and he's rangy, so he can get in those passing lanes." But the wrist injury — which kept Bur- nett out from Dec. 12 to Jan. 21 — cost him his spot in the starting lineup to Jaden Bradley, leaving him fighting for time. "Then he kind of went on a heater for three or four games, at the end of Janu- ary, early February," Byler said. "He was shooting the ball really well. Over that stretch, he was shooting about 40 per- cent from three, and he was doing it off the dribble, too, which is something we hadn't seen a lot of. It looked like he'd gained some of his explosiveness back." Once his shot began falling off a bit, Burnett's minutes decreased as well. "The whole time I talked to him, he seemed like a very down-to-earth, level- headed kind of player," Byler said. "On the bench, he didn't seem to be super down or pouting about losing playing time or los- ing his starting spot." At Michigan, Burnett will be looking to take the next steps — in better health, and knowing what he can do when there. ❏ BURNETT BY THE NUMBERS • 2022-23 (Alabama): Averaged 5.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists through 27 games (nine starts) … Had five games in which he made 3-plus three-pointers … Missed nine games due to wrist surgery. • 2021-22 (Alabama): Missed season with ACL injury. • 2020-21 (Texas Tech): Played in 12 games and averaged 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 17.8 minutes per contest … Connected on 88.9 percent from the foul line (32 of 36). A 6 - f o o t - 4 s h o o t i n g g u a r d f r o m Chicago, Burnett battled injuries the last two seasons at Alabama. He was rated as a five-star recruit by ESPN coming out of high school in 2020. PHOTO BY ROBERT SUTTON/ALABAMA ATHLETICS