Notre Dame Freshman and Leading Scorer, Markus Burton, Declares for the NBA Draft

Written by: Jhett Garrett | Writer | Twitter/X: @JhettGarrett

Photo by The Irish Tribune

ACC Freshman of the Year, and holder of Notre Dame’s freshman scoring record Markus Burton has officially declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining eligibility. Burton made it clear in a post on Instagram on Thursday that he will be “maintaining my eligibility at Notre Dame.”

The Mishawaka, Indiana native averaged 17.5 points per game in his first season in South Bend, while also dishing out 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds. Burton was also a menace on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 1.9 steals per game. He had a steal in all but four games, with his season-high being six against Virginia Tech in February.

His best game of the year was against Wake Forest in Purcell Pavilion back on February 27th, where Burton finished with 31 points on 9-15 shooting with a perfect 11-11 at the free throw line, while also tallying four steals, three assists, and three rebounds. He battled for the Irish in the winning effort, including a massive block that clinched the win for Notre Dame.

While Burton could be a high-level playmaker, his high turnover rate seemed to hold him back all season. While he picked up nearly two steals in every game during his freshman season, Burton averaged 3.7 turnovers per game. He turned the ball over in all but one game and had 20 games this season with four or more turnovers. In the final 13 games of the season, Burton averaged 2.8 turnovers per game, an obvious improvement from the first months of the season. While being a freshman is going to give him some leeway in that area, it is something that Burton will need to take care of before taking that next step.

Getting Burton back is going to be huge for the Irish next season, so this is something that will be watched carefully by the fanbase. With two four-star players coming in with Sir Mohammad and Cole Certa, Notre Dame could take a massive leap in year two of the Micah Shrewsberry era. The turn that the Irish basketball team took in the latter part of the season is something that Shrewsberry will want to ride into next season. Markus Burton being on the roster will be a huge part of that.

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