Burns turns out just fine for DePaul
Dorell Wright never spent a minute in a DePaul uniform, but that doesn't mean he never helped the Blue Demons.
Because the prep school prodigy from California waited so long to choose the NBA over his signed commitment to DePaul, he forced then-coach Dave Leitao to scramble to replace him.
Enter Draelon Burns, one of the finest consolation prizes in school annals.
Right around the time the Miami Heat made Wright the No. 19 pick in the 2004 NBA draft, former DePaul assistant Josh Oppenheimer placed a call to Burns.
Prior to that, the Milwaukee resident who spent his senior year at Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute never received a single verbal cue that DePaul liked him.
That set into motion a whirlwind courtship that enabled Burns, now a 6-foot-4 senior guard who'll play his final home game today against Notre Dame, to approach the modern NCAA record for Fastest Recruiting Process.
And you thought Burns' itchy trigger finger only works when he's on the court.
"I think they called me on a Friday," Burns said. "I came for a visit on a Sunday. I really didn't get to meet people because it was in the summer. Everybody was kind of gone.
"But I was liking it and I was so anxious, I really wanted to commit right on the spot. But (Oppenheimer) was like, 'Naw, just relax.' He called me the next day, and I was like, 'I ain't trying to hear that. That's where I want to be.' "
And the rest has been a ride into DePaul's official and unofficial record books.
"We needed somebody that could come in and score the ball," said then-DePaul assistant Gene Cross, who'll be on hand Sunday in his role as a Notre Dame assistant.
"A lot of these guys go under-recruited. It was a good marriage. We had a need and he wanted to play at the highest level."
And when it comes to Burns' ability to score baskets in flurries and blizzards, he indeed has been a Blue Demon of the highest order.
When Burns drilled West Virginia for 31 points on Wednesday night -- all of them in the game's final 23 minutes and 12 seconds -- it marked his third 30-point-plus effort in the same season.
Only three others in school history have equaled that feat: George Mikan, Mark Aguirre and Tom Kleinschmidt.
That's DePaul royalty right there.
Burns, the Big East's No. 4 scorer at 17.7 points per game, ranks 19th on DePaul's all-time scoring list with 1,278 points.
If he maintains his average down the stretch, he could pass up such greats as Tyrone Corbin and Stanley Brundy before he's through.
He's also fourth on the school's charts for 3-pointers (142) and 3-point attempts (431).
Not bad for a guy who didn't become a starter until midway through his junior year -- also known as halfway through his time with DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright, who initially envisioned Burns as a sixth-man supreme.
"I remember when I first got here, I told him, 'I'm going to make you our 'Microwave,' " Wainwright said. "Of course, he had no idea who I was talking about. But he struck me as the Vinnie Johnson type from the Pistons.
"He might not be the tallest or the fastest, but he's just got a feel for scoring."
But that's not the primary reason Wainwright will be sorry to see Burns go.
He appreciates how Burns overcame an iffy prep academic showing and a jagged home situation to get into position to be his family's first college graduate.
And when college coaches everywhere long for their best player to be their hardest worker, Wainwright never worries about that.
"You know what you're getting -- you're getting his best every day," he said. "That's a great thing to say because that means you can count on him."
Sounds like he's been a heck of a lot more than a consolation prize.
"Luckily it turned out good because I've had a lot of fun here," Burns said. "I wouldn't change it for the world."
Notre Dame (21-6, 11-4) at DePaul (10-17, 5-10)
When: Noon at Allstate Arena
TV: WWME Channel 23
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
The skinny: This longstanding rivalry has featured several spine-tingling games in recent years, including Notre Dame's 89-80 win exactly one month ago. Neither side will lack for motivation on this Senior Day. The Irish are playing for a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament -- which would be the school's first since 1986 -- while the Demons need a win to stay ahead of Providence and St. John's for the 12th and final Big East tournament berth. DePaul has been stung by all kinds of post players all season, so the Blue Demons need a magical tag-team effort from senior Wesley Green and freshman Mac Koshwal to keep likely All-American Luke Harangody from producing another 29-point, 14-rebound effort. Speaking of Green, stick around after the game for Senior Day ceremonies featuring he, Draelon Burns, Karron Clarke and Cliff Clinkscales.
-- Lindsey Willhite