Trey Burke Developing Into NBA Prospect Quickly
When Michigan's do-everything guard, Darius Morris, decided to leave early for the NBA Draft in 2011, we had to discredit the Wolverines a bit, despite the fact that they returned four starters and several more key role players. At 15 points, 6.7 assists and 1 steal a night, Morris led his team in all three categories and was third on Michigan in rebounds per game as well. He initiated the offense in halfcourt and in transition, created for others, took the big shots. He was the heart and soul of the Wolverines. So it was not far-fetched to think that Michigan would have a learning curve ahead playing without Morris and relying on a freshman point guard to take the reins. But that's just what Trey Burke has done and he's hit the ground running.
In the Maui Invitational against top ten foes Memphis and Duke, Burke has showed tremendous poise for such a young player. In high school, he was a scorer first-and-foremost, but still displayed the talent to run the offense and draw the defense and find the open man. Burke was not an overly aggressive creator, but is showing signs of rapid development in this area, in a good way. He is kicking it out to open teammates on his penetration and finding wing Tim Hardaway Jr. and getting the ball to him in good scoring opportunities. He is also displaying scoring instincts of his own, especially in the mid-range game where he excels at pulling up off the dribble. Playing nearly the entire 40 minutes against Duke, Burke nearly sparked the upset, finishing with 17 points and 9 assists, an improvement from his 14-point, 4-assist game against the superior athlete of Memphis.
By President - Corey Ruff - 11-25-11
