Notre Dame will feature one of the nation’s top point guards when it opens the season against visiting Long Island on Monday in South Bend, Ind.
Markus Burton averaged 21.3 points and 3.0 assists per game last season to join David Rivers (1984-88) as the only Notre Dame players to average at least 20 points and three assists per game.
“One of the things is, he’s improved his conditioning, and that’s been a challenge,” Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “For as good as he played, as many minutes as he played, he hadn’t been in the best shape.”
Burton ranks as the No. 3 returning scorer in Division I — trailing only PJ Haggerty (Memphis, now at Kansas State) and Jaron Pierre Jr. (Jacksonville State, now at SMU). That, along with leading the ACC with 23.5 points per game in league games, helped Burton land on the 20-player Bob Cousy Award watch list.
“His decision-making has been really good,” Shrewsberry said. “His leadership, talking more, and then his physical efforts to guard better in the full court, but also how he’s moving the ball. He’s really improved in those ways.”
Tae Davis, who averaged 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Fighting Irish last season, transferred to Oklahoma, but Notre Dame retained Shrewsberry’s son, Braeden, who averaged 14 ppg last season, and 6-foot-10 senior forward Kebba Njie, who has started 57 of 60 games over the past two seasons.
Shrewsberry said the key to improving on last season’s 15-18 record is being better in close games. The Fighting Irish went 6-7 in games decided by six points or fewer.
“We’ve talked about our mentality as a team. We’ve got to be tougher,” Shrewsberry said. “We’ve got to win those games down the stretch, and that starts with your mentality.”
Long Island went 17-16 last season, including 12-4 in the Northeast Conference. The Sharks were the unanimous preseason pick to win the NEC as fourth-year coach Rod Strickland returns his starting backcourt.
Senior guard Malachi Davis spent one season at Arizona State before transferring to Long Island last season and averaging 17.7 points and 3.2 assists. Backcourt mate Jamal Fuller averaged 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds. Both made the NEC’s preseason all-league team.
