David Burgess, 6-9 JR C Irvine (Calif.) Woodbridge, is a rarity in high school basketball -- a true five man who knows his game and doesn't want to play small forward. Burgess is an average athlete, but he's got a big body and he understands how to play in the low post. This past summer, he led the ABCD camp in rebounding.
We spoke with Burgess last night and asked him about the schools he's considering. "I put together a list of about twenty schools that I'm interested in," said Burgess. "All of the Pac-10, except for Oregon St. and Washington St., Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Louisville, UConn, BYU, Michigan and Florida are some of the schools. I grew up liking North Carolina -- Vince Carter was my favorite player."
We asked Burgess if location would play any role in his decision. "Not really -- I'll go wherever I'm comfortable," said Burgess.
Burgess did indicate he has one primary concern when making his choice. "I'll look at the coaching. Mainy how they've done with big men and what kind of big men have come out of their school."
We asked if early playing time would play a role in his decision. "Not really," said Burgess. "It'd be nice to get some time, but I understand that I might not play much as a freshman."
With his older brother Chris having already gone through the process, we asked David if he'd go to Chris for advice. "Definitely," said Burgess. "He's been through it twice actually and he can tell me what to look for. Sometimes a coach will be saying something just to get you to his school, so Chris can help me with the decision. And I'll talk with my Dad as well."
Burgess told us that he has a 3.0 GPA and has yet to take the SAT.