Five-star guard Brayden Burries updates recruitment at Hoophall Classic
By ZACH SMART
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Brayden Burries was quick to stake his claim as one of the deadliest 3-point shooters in the country during the embryonic stages of his high school career.
Having added bulk while subsequently becoming shiftier, more vertically explosive, and more crafty on his forays to the rim, the five-star recruit at Eleanor Roosevelt (CA) HS is one of the country’s top un-committed players.
A Top-10 national talent, Burries will visit Tennessee on Tuesday, taking in the Vols matchup against Mississippi State.
Currently authoring a memorable senior season, Burries has taken official visits to Oregon, Alabama, SMU, and also an unofficial visit to USC, among others.
The San Bernardino, Calif. native, who recently turned in a 43-point and 10-rebound showing during an end to end 95-43 trouncing of Santiago, scored 14 points to go with six rebounds during Roosevelt’s 73-55 loss to Gonzaga at The Hoophall Classic on Monday.
Roosevelt’s Brayden Burries starting to heat up @BraydenBurries pic.twitter.com/eQEaxPce7F
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) January 20, 2025
Virginia Tech-commit Christian Gurdak, a 6-foot-10, 260-pound bulldozer, led Gonzaga with 18 points and 11 rebounds to go with two blocked shots.
At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Burries possesses a Chauncey Billups-type build as a physical combination guard.
Burries, who surpassed the 2,000-point milestone last month, is likely to sign late and hasn’t given any indication as to when or if he will whittle his choices down.
“I’m going to be a lead guard in college,” said Burries. “There’s a few schools recruiting me like Oregon, USC, Duke, UCLA, Arizona, Alabama, Tennessee, a few other ones. They mainly speak with Dad. He just wants me to focus on this season right now.”
Burries has appreciated his multiple visits thus far, but appears wide open and isn’t leaning toward any particular program just yet.
“Some of the schools I’ve visited so far are Oregon, Alabama, Arizona. My Arizona visit was good. They’ve got a great coaching staff with Coach (Tommy) Lloyd, coach (Jack) Murphy, they are great coaches.
“I went to Oregon. Coach (Dana) Altman, coach (Tony) Stubblefield., they showed nothing but love. Right now, it’s all pretty much even with my recruiting.”
While the onus is on Burries to be both a focal point scorer and creative play-maker, he envisions himself adapting into more of a traditional setup man in college.
“I’m mainly focusing on my play-making, shooting, just being a better leader. I see myself playing in a system that plays up and down, with good spacing. Having shooters around me, to spread the floor out.”
BOBBY HURLEY WATCHES KOA PEAT
Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley was in the house at Springfield College to see prized five-star recruit Koa Peat of Perry HS (Gilbert, AZ).
Seeking his fourth state title in as many years, Peat recently narrowed his choices down to Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Houston, and Texas.
Following a quiet start in which he picked up four first half fouls during a 75-65 loss to Christopher Columbus (FL), Peat finished with 18 points. Peat has taken all of his official visits and is letting the process play out.
In a marquee matchup between two of the nation’s premier bigs, it was Duke-bound Cameron Boozer who really flourished.
Boozer scored 20 first half points and finished with a game-best 31. He corralled 13 rebounds and dished three assists.
Boozer’s offensive uniqueness was evident as he stuck outside shots, was workmanlike on the interior, floated above the rim for authoritative dunks and finished with his off hand in traffic.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
The post Five-star guard Brayden Burries updates recruitment at Hoophall Classic appeared first on Zagsblog.