Recruiting Report: BJ Burries
When talking about guards who can score the basketball at an extremely high level, it is almost impossible to do so in Arizona without mentioning BJ Burries. Burries, a 5’9 PG from Globe in the class of 2019, enters his junior year with more than 1,000 points. As a freshman, Burries 23 points per game and as a sophomore, he improved that total to 26.
Burries can flat out score it in a hurry. In addition to improving his scoring total by 3 points per game, he improved his scoring from deep. Burries averaged almost 3.5 3 pointers per game. He can shoot it well of the dribble as well as in catch and shoot situations.
College Interest
Burries stated that he has not received any scholarship offers at this point. However, he mentioned that he has been, “talking to the UCLA assistant coach and Kansas.” Moreover he received a letter inviting him to the Weber State elite camp. In addition, he stated that he has received interest from “San Jose State, New Mexico State, and others from California.”
In addition to averaging near 3.5 3 pointers per game, Burries mentioned that he also carries a “3.5 GPA”. He has yet to take his ACT or SAT due to going into his junior year. However, his ability to score the basketball and his high GPA should make him an attract prospect to many schools.
When asked what he is looking for as far as college is concerned, he is looking for a “great education and a great coaching staff”. He is hoping to take his game to the next level this next season as a means of “getting some D1 letters”.
High School
This past season, Globe went 19-11 and had a great season. Even though last year had a lot of success, Globe returns the majority of their leading scorers from this past season. With the returning talent in addition to Burries, Globe should be in consideration for one of the top teams in their classification.
Burries competes with the I-10 Celtics during the club season and will look to bring his scoring back to Globe this next season. Last year, Globe was knocked out of the state tournament in the second round by Valley Christian. Burries and the group will hope to make amends for the early exit in the state tournament this year.
Although Burries is primarily in the discussion due to his scoring ability, Burries is tough on the defensive end as well. Although he is a little undersized and does struggle with stronger guards, he is very quick. He has good anticipation which aids him in creating deflections and steals. His ability to create turnovers aid him greatly in his scoring endeavors.
Burries has had a lot of success at the high school level which has led to him receiving a lot of accolades. He received a lot of attention due to scoring 68 points in a game. Moreover, according to Burries, he is ranked as the #3 player in the nation for Native Americans.
College Projection
Burries is a little undersized and will need to continue to work in the weight room to have a high ceiling at the college level. With that said, he can flat out score the basketball in an array of ways. The biggest question mark is how his ability to score will translate to the next level. Due to his ability to shoot it off of the dribble and create shots for himself, I think he will still be able to score efficiently in college.
Burries is a tough prospect to project as he can score it at a high level, but he needs to improve in the areas mentioned previously. There is plenty of time for Burries to continue to improve his stock, but I see him most likely fitting in at the high NAIA or Division II level. He is a fun prospect to monitor who very well could end up playing at the NCAA Division I level as he continues to grow and improve.