NCAA Basketball: Where will Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton land?
Transfer Jamarius Burton to announce college decision on April 13.
Wichita State transfer Jamarius Burton announced, a few days ago, that he will disclose his next destination will be on Monday. Burton is down to Marquette, Seton Hall, Texas Tech, and Xavier. The versatile 6-4 combo guard who is strong defensively, heard from over 40 programs following his entry into the NCAA transfer portal.
Burton is coming off a solid sophomore campaign for the Shockers. He averaged 10.3 points along with 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 44% from the field and 38.1% from the 3-point line. The Charlotte (NC) native produced one double-double and scored double-figures in 19 of his 30 appearances. While Burton improved his statistics nearly across the board from his freshman season, turnovers were an issue, and he is still not much of a threat from beyond the arc.
“The biggest thing is style of play,” Burton previously said when asked what he was looking when he started the process. “I ask the coaches what players I should be watching, and who I play like. All of that little stuff, and then I go back and watch the film to see if I fit in. I am taking into account tempo, how fast teams play and see if I fit. I don’t know our pace at Wichita but want to play a little bit faster.”
Burton will likely have to sit out this coming year as a result of the NCAA transfer rule. Here is a snapshot of each of the six finalists.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles lose starters Markus Howard and Sacar Anim, and they won’t have Koby McEwen after this upcoming year. Marquette has two more scholarships to give out in 2020 and are reportedly in the mix for incoming freshman Karim Mane and Michigan transfer David DeJulius.
Seton Hall: Seton Hall also won’t have starters, Quincy McKnight and Myles Powell, back. The Pirates did bring in grad transfer Bryce Aiken but they won’t have him along with key 2019-20 reserves Myles Cale and Shavar Reynolds after the conclusion of this upcoming season. They have three scholarships available in 2020. However, the Pirates have already inked incoming three-star guards Jahari Long and Dimingus Stevens. Additionally, SHU is a finalist for Ohio State’s finalist Luther Muhammad.
Texas Tech: Texas Tech lost Chris Clarke to graduation, and Jahmi’us Ramsey is expected to depart for the NBA. While it is believed that Davide Morretti will return to the Red Raiders for the upcoming season, he will be out of eligibility next year, and incoming freshman Nimari Burnett is not expected to stay long in Lubbock. Chris Beard likes using a guard-oriented lineup, and Beard is excellent at developing players. However, with junior college transfer Esahia Nyiwe committing to the team this weekend, the Raiders don not currently have a scholarship available.
Xavier: Naji Marshall’s departure gives Xavier a scholarship for next year, and Paul Scruggs only has one more year of eligibility left as will grad transfer Nate Johnson. But freshman Kyky Tandy, who had his moments as a freshman, and the Muskateers have brought in guards Dwon Odom along with CJ Wilcher and Colby Jones as part of their 2020 recruiting class.
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Prediction: I don’t believe that there is a favorite for Burton’s services, as he is a good fit for each program. But I ultimately think that it will come down to the Golden Eagles and Pirates. So, I am going Marquette followed by Seton Hall then Xavier and Texas Tech. My gut says that Texas Tech is the wild card.