There is not any query the fan favourite of the boys’s NCAA Match is North Carolina State huge man DJ Burns Jr., who has obtained popularity of his artful footwork and goofy character.
Within the first males’s Remaining 4 matchup Saturday at 6:09 ET (TNT), Burns and Eleventh-seeded NC State (26-14) will face No. 1 seed Purdue (33-4) and their 7-foot-4 star, Zach Edey.
Earlier than then, let’s get to know the 6-foot-9, 260-pound Burns a bit extra. Listed below are 5 nuggets in regards to the energy ahead aptly nicknamed “Gen Z-Bo” — a nickname that pays homage to former NBA ahead Zach Randolph, Burns’ fellow lefty.
1. He was one of many high recruits in South Carolina
In 2018, the state of South Carolina produced some of the electrifying gamers in males’s school basketball historical past: Zion Williamson. Many people bear in mind Williamson’s one season at Duke, a yr full of tomahawk dunks, jaw-dropping blocks and masterpieces within the greatest video games.Â
However Williamson wasn’t the one 2018 South Carolina prospect who would go on to dazzle the nation. It took some time, however Burns (the No. 5 participant from the state that yr) has proved the category to be greater than a one-trick pony.
2. He began as a Tennessee Volunteer
Might you think about if Burns performed on the identical group as Tennessee star Dalton Knecht? The massive man fielded affords from Tennessee, South Carolina, Auburn, School of Charleston and Charlotte however ultimately opted for Rick Barnes and the Volunteers.Â
Burns by no means performed a recreation for Tennessee, as he redshirted his freshman yr after which transferred to Winthrop. What might have been on Rocky High…
3. He was the Large South Participant of the 12 months
As a redshirt junior for the Winthrop Eagles, Burns averaged 15 factors and 4.5 rebounds and shot 62.6% from the sector. In 2021-22, he was named Large South Participant of the 12 months, the sixth Winthrop participant to win the award.Â
Winthrop completed the common season 21-8 (14-2 within the Large South), nabbing the No. 2 seed within the convention event. There, Burns averaged 12.7 factors and three.7 rebounds in three video games for the Eagles, who top-seeded Longwood beat 79-58 within the Large South Match title recreation.Â
4. He compelled Kevin Keatts to varyÂ
Earlier than Burns joined the Wolfpack forward of the 2022-23 season, North Carolina State’s Keatts had already been a head coach for eight seasons — three of which resulted in his group making it to the NCAA Match.Â
As soon as Burns and Keatts discovered one another, a brand new model emerged in Raleigh.
“Sometimes I play with two forwards, a Ben [Middlebrooks] and a Mo [Diarra] collectively,” Keatts informed reporters after Sunday’s event win towards Duke. “However when DJ hit the switch portal, I used to be like, ‘Man, I gotta change.'”
And alter he did. NC State does not run each offensive set by means of Burns — in any case, DJ Horne and Casey Morsell can do some critical work with the ball of their palms — nevertheless it depends on him for rather a lot offensively.Â
Burns’ skills to again opponents all the way down to the basket and end by means of contact or discover open teammates (whether or not chopping to the basket or recognizing up for an open triple) are tough abilities for defenses to deal with. Burns burned Texas Tech, Oakland, Marquette and Duke within the event together with his skills.Â
“I’ve by no means thrown the ball inside as a lot as I’ve within the final couple of years,” Keatts stated.Â
In opposition to Purdue, the Wolfpack will hold throwing the ball inside to Burns, who averages 13 factors and 4.1 rebounds.Â
5. He dabbles in music
Final March, Burns dropped “Beastboy,” his first single (you possibly can hearken to it right here on SoundCloud). It is two minutes and eight seconds of clean rap, a powerful feat contemplating his dedication to basketball.
That is not the one time he has proven an curiosity in music.
Rising up in Rock Hill, S.C., Burns performed the tuba, upright bass, saxophone and handbells, his mother and father, Dwight Sr. and Takela, informed WRAL-TV in Raleigh.Â
