44 APRIL 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
MEN'S BASKETBALL
BY JACK SOBLE
B
y the time you see Markus Burton's
mid-range jump shot coming, it's
usually too late.
You're already shuffling backward
quickly enough to keep up with his
drive, so your momentum is going to-
ward the basket. When you see him
stop, you try to adjust. You probably
have much longer arms than he does,
so you think you might be able to get a
hand in his face or even block the shot.
However, before you can do that, the
ball is already in the air and headed for
the bottom of the net.
"I know they're timing me up to block
my shot at the rim," Burton told Blue
& Gold Illustrated. "When I stop on a
dime and shoot a mid-range jump shot,
he doesn't know how to react, because
it's so fast."
That's an average experience defend-
ing the freshman guard from Misha-
waka, Ind., and that's a big reason why
he was named ACC Rookie of the Year
March 11.
Burton started developing a mid-
range game after his freshman year at
Mishawaka Penn High School, when
he started at the varsity level for the
first time. During that season, he found
himself struggling to drive to the basket
because at under 6-foot, everyone else
was bigger and stronger than him.
Too many shots were getting blocked.
Using Lethal Signature Jump Shot,
Markus Burton Finishes Historic Freshman Season
Burton, the 2024 ACC Rookie of the Year, scored a Notre Dame freshman record of 535 points in the regular season, surpassing Troy Murphy (519 in 1998-99).
PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER
