This is the second in a series of profiles about the fall signees of the men's and women's basketball teams. The men's team has signed forwards Shane Battier and Chris Burgess, while the women's team inked forward Rochelle Parent and guard Georgia Schweitzer.
Today: Chris Burgess
Coach Mike Krzyzewski has compiled the top basketball recruiting class in the nation this year, and leading the way for the class of 2001 is Chris Burgess.
Rated the No. 1 high school prospect in the country by USA Today and No. 2 by analyst Bob Gibbons, the 6-foot-11, 242-lb. center from Irvine, Ca. was referred to by Gibbons as "one of the most skilled big players that I've seen in the 22 years that I've been following and evaluating high school players."
And his stats seem to prove it. Last year, Burgess averaged 26.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game at Woodbridge High School. Woodbridge head coach John Halagan has said that Burgess is an athletic Christian Laettner, and Burgess himself hopes to be much like the former All-American-especially when it comes to the confident attitude.
"I want to be like him with that attitude of 'I want to win,'" Burgess said. "I really want to take the team next year and all four years to the national title because I really think we'll have a chance at playing for the national title four years in a row."
Winning the national championship is just one of the goals Burgess hopes to attain during his years at Duke, along with playing with and against the best players and being named national college player of the year. It is these goals which led Burgess to choose Duke over his other leading contender, Brigham Young University. Burgess announced his decision in a Nov. 18 press conference at his high school.
Although most people were supportive of Burgess' decision, one person was conspicuously disappointed and not ashamed to let others know of his disappointment-BYU head coach Roger Reid. Upon Burgess' announcement on Nov. 18, Reid proclaimed that Burgess had 'let down nine million Mormons, the LDS prophet and the apostles by not attending BYU.' Quite a bit of responsibility for a 17-year old kid.
Burgess, a Mormon himself, had been deemed the next savior of BYU basketball, and most signs seemed to point in the Cougar's favor. Burgess' father is a BYU grad and his 6-foot-5 sister Angela, a transfer who is two years older than Chris, had just signed to play basketball for the Cougars. But in the end, Burgess followed his heart to fulfill a childhood dream and play for the Blue Devils.
"Growing up I just loved Duke-watching Danny Ferry, watching Christian Laettner, knowing Cherokee Parks and getting to watch him too," Burgess said. "Overall I just had a great feeling about it. I really felt comfortable there and felt like I could live there for four years."
In making his college choice, Burgess relied upon advice from Parks, as well as Woodbridge alum Adam Keefe and BYU's Danny Ainge.
"They told me that all the schools I was looking at, I couldn't go wrong," Burgess said. "[They said] no matter where you go, you're going to have a good time and to go to the school where you want to go, not where other people want you to go. They gave me good advice."
But advice which ultimately was good for Duke was not as pleasing to Reid. Since making his comments, however, Reid has apologized to Burgess.
"Some people say things they don't mean, because I guess he took it hard," Burgess said. "He didn't take it like most other coaches did, but he felt bad and he apologized. Basically it's over with and I'm glad he apologized and the recruiting thing is over with."
Burgess' decision served as the crowning jewel in what some people are calling the best recruiting class in the history of college basketball. With consensus top 10 forward Shane Battier already signed and with verbal commitments from powerhouse forward Elton Brand and point guard Will Avery, both universally considered top 25 prospects, the addition of Burgess capped the deal.
Along with being a pure overall talent, Burgess will help fill the Blue Devils' gap in the paint that will be vacated this spring with the graduation of senior center Greg Newton.
Burgess does not plan to serve a traditional two-year Mormon mission while at Duke, unlike Burgess' own brother, Benjamin, and current Blue Devil Matt Christensen, who is currently on his mission and will not rejoin the team until Burgess' sophomore season. Instead, Burgess has chosen a different mission-to be an example for the Mormon church in North Carolina.
"I have had a lot of people tell me that you could do a lot more in North Carolina where you are more visible," Burgess said. "Everyone knows I am Mormon, so right now I want to be an example to other people as an LDS member of the church and see that people understand what I am and what I represent.
"I think my mission is mainly playing basketball and speaking for the church. I feel like I'd be doing more and getting more out of it playing basketball, and that I am a missionary every single day when people ask me about my religion and I try to stand up for it and speak out to people."
Before Burgess' Nov. 18 D-day, many observers speculated that Burgess' decision would come down to religion versus competition. Contrary to Reid's reaction, Burgess did not make a decision against religion by choosing the Blue Devils. Instead he will take the challenge of promoting his religion away from the friendly confines of BYU, as well as facing the nation's toughest competition on the court every night, battling under the boards in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
By choosing Duke, Burgess may have given up his role as a savior, but will instead play for all the glory that is Blue Devil basketball.
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