Notre Dame guard Markus Burton wins second ACC Rookie of the Week honor
If his first year with the Irish is any indication, those inclined should get their height jokes in while they can. For the second time this season, Notre Dame guard Markus Burton stood above all Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen and won ACC Rookie of the Week.
Burton is the third ACC freshman with multiple Rookie of the Week honors, chasing Pittsburgh guard Carlton Carrington (four) and Georgia Tech forward Baye Ndongo (two). Stacking weekly awards is important as Burton’s case for ACC Freshman of the Year hits its home stretch.
Against No. 9 Duke and Virginia Tech, Burton averaged 17.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.5 rebounds. His performance in Notre Dame’s win over the Hokies on Saturday was particularly impressive, as Burton scored 16 points, tied his career high with 8 assists and stole the ball a career-high 6 times.
The freshman played a key part in Notre Dame’s pick-and-roll defense, Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry explained after the game. He constantly got his body and hands in passing lanes and preventing Virginia Tech from creating action on offense.
“[Shrewsberry] talked to me a lot, every day, like, ‘I’m a defensive guy. I need you. I need your best effort,'” Burton said. “I feel like when I put my mind to something and I’m willing to do something for the team to sacrifice winning, I feel like today I was able to show that I can really sit down and lock up some of the great players that we played today.”
According to the ACC’s release, Burton is the third Notre Dame player to compile at least 16 points, 8 assists and 6 steals in a single game. He joined Chris Thomas in 2001 and Jerian Grant in 2013.
In a loss to the Blue Devils on Wednesday, Burton scored 19 points and dished out 4 assists. Despite being listed at 5-foot-11, he hit multiple tough buckets over large defenders like 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Mark Mitchell.
Burton and fellow freshman guard Braeden Shrewsberry both impressed their coach (and the latter’s dad) with how they handled the harsh and unique environment that is Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
“Those two dudes walked in there like they’ve been there before,” Shrewsberry said. “They didn’t care where they were. Like it was Mishawaka High School or Cumberland Valley High School, man, that’s how those two dudes walked in. They’re just basketball players that don’t care about the environment, don’t care about the opponent. They’re just gonna go out there and do what they do.”
The Mishawaka, Ind. native averages 16.2 points per game, which leads all ACC freshmen. He also leads the Irish in assists by a long shot (4.2; the next-highest is freshman guard Logan Imes at 1.2) and steals (1.8). Burton has totaled at least 10 points in all but two games this season, and he has an ongoing season-high streak of four-straight games leading Notre Dame in scoring.
Burton and the Irish will look to win two games in a row for the third time this season at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Louisville.
