Logan Phillips
Senior Editor
Within only a few minutes, the Rams’s seven point leader had evaporated into an eight point deficit, and with less then five minutes left in the game and the Rams on the brink of their eighth straight loss in a row, their prospects of winning did not look good. Enter Willie Burger, the unlikely hero; a freshman was only playing such crucial end game minutes because of an injury to Nick Depuy. With one steal, Freshman Willie Burger dramatically turned the game around, quickly drawing a foul from beyond the three point line. The crowd was tentatively cheering, aware in the back of their mind that Burger was on his first year in Varsity, and with the immense pressure surrounding him, it would be difficult for Burger to succeed and make his shots.
Willie Burger did not disappoint, making all three shots, and following it up on the next play with a shot from downtown. To call Burger in this game a sparkplug is an understatement, as his incredible play led the Rams to an 11-1 run to close the game, eight of which were his own. Its no surprise that the last two free throw shots (both made) to put the nail in the coffin came from Burger.
If you average Burger’s stats over 32 minutes (the length of a high school basketball game), Willie Burger would average a state line of 8.2 points, 1.5 assist and 2 steals a game. Considering the fact that this would make Burger the teams second highest scorer and the fact that Burger is only a freshman, it’s no surprise that Coach Bussey is so enamored by his play. This is not to say that Burger is perfect. Naturally, as a first year player, Burger has occasional trouble with shot selection, and has over two turnovers a game. But for all the times Burger has been erratic, he has also shown signs of brilliance, like in the game against Greenwich last Friday.
Burger will be rewarded for his work by getting the chance to start the next game to fill in for Scott O’ Brien, arguably the Rams best all-around player, who suffered an injury yesterday. Burger will be no stranger to being on the court at tip off, as Coach Bussey has confirmed that unless something goes badly wrong, Willie Burger will be the starting point guard for the Rams next year.
