TOWSON, Md. - There are many people who sit on a basketball bench during a
season. You have players, coaches, trainers and managers. But then, there
are those players who can't play. The ones in suits or
warmups who are either injured or sitting out due to transfer rules.
With freshman guard Will Adams out due to an injury against William & Mary, Coach Pat
Skerry was stuck with just two scholarship guards in freshmen Deon Jones and Kris Walden. If he had his druthers,
Skerry probably wished he could look down the bench and motion to put Mike
Burwell in the game.
The
6-foot-6, 210-pound transfer from South Florida will get the call
eventually. Unfortunately, it will be next season since transfer rules suggest that
"Basketball student-athletes transferring
from four-year colleges to four-year colleges are not eligible for
intercollegiate basketball competition until they have met the residence
requirement at the new school."
That means Burwell and Georgetown transfer
Jerrelle
Benimon (6-7, 240) will have to sit out the entire season, but can practice while going to school. It certainly hasn't been easy for
Burwell to watch the Tigers struggle with so much youth and inexperience this season.
"It's extremely tough," said Burwell.
"I know my guys are (capable of doing better) than what they are doing.
In practice, we push them hard and they do what they need to do but
it doesn't show up in games. For me, not being able to be out there to help them is real tough."
During his senior year at Cardinal McCarrick H.S., Burwell led the State of New Jersey in scoring by averaging 27.8 points while contributing 10.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. He was
selected to the Associated Press All-State first team.
Burwell went from New
Jersey to a prep school in Connecticut (South Kent School) for one year
where he helped the Mighty Cardinals to a 26-7 record and a Top 10
national ranking, averaging 16.0 points per game.
At South Florida, Burwell
saw action in 50 games (2009-11) while starting five games. He registered a
career high of 15 points on five of seven shooting from beyond the arc in his
first career start, a 60-43 win over Liberty
last November. He averaged 1.7 points in his sophomore year and 8.1
minutes per game.
"I wasn't happy at South Florida," said
Burwell. "I wasn't getting playing time like I thought I would. I just wanted to go
somewhere where I had the opportunity to show my talents. Coach
Skerry and Coach (Kevin) Clark previously recruited me back in high school so I thought it was a great fit for me."
In practice and in scrimmages, Burwell
has shown the ability to play all three guard positions. He usually
plays on the scout team where he acts as the best scorer. He's a very good
athlete with an ability to shoot
it from deep and off the dribble.
Next year, he'll give Skerry some options with his versatility.
"I see myself as a combo 1 (point) and 2 (shooting guard)," said
Burwell. "We can go big at times. Put me at the point or go fast at times and put me at the 2. With
Jerrelle (Benimon)
he can play the 3 (small forward), so we can go big.
"I'm just excited
to get on the court and play," he added. "I know what I can do and what
Jerrelle can do. When you put all the pieces together along with our young guys, it really comes together."
He'll also be much closer to his family, who can now come and watch him from East Brunswick, N.J.
"(Towson is) only a 2 1/2 hour drive for home games," said
Burwell. "That's going to be great for (my family). When I first
decided to go to South Florida, my mom wasn't liking it. She couldn't
drive or fly down there. She definitely loves the new move."
Burwell also gets along with the new coaching staff.
"They are all great guys," he said. "They know the game and they are
very passionate. That's what I love about them. They really push me."
New year, Burwell will finally get a chance to play
significant minutes for the first time since his prep school days at South Kent.
While that's very good news for the Tigers, it's not going to be great news for their opponents.
