Photo courtesy of Winthrop Athletics
At 6-foot-9 with 250 pounds of pure muscle, DJ Burns is one of the largest Eagles Winthrop has ever seen.
The native to Rock Hill (which is known to many as “Football City USA” for the city’s ability to produce exceptional football players at the college and professional level) attended York Preparatory Academy, where instead of practicing football, he perfected his basketball skills.
After deciding to graduate high school a year early, Burns was ranked as the No. 103 overall prospect for the class of 2018, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Burns was also considered the 12th best center in the nation and the third best prospect from the state of South Carolina, only behind superstars Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, who were the top two selections in the 2019 NBA Draft.
According to 247sports.com, Burns received offers from sixteen NCAA schools, dating back to the summer after his freshman year of high school. Burns was personally visited by several highly respected head coaches, including Frank Martin from the University of South Carolina and Tony Bennett from the University of Virginia, before ultimately deciding to attend the University of Tennessee.
After redshirting his first year with the Tennessee Volunteers, Burns opted to place his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal this past summer. On July 11, Burns posted a picture of himself in a Winthrop jersey on Twitter with text that read, “IT FEELS GOOD TO BE HOME.”
As one could expect, head coach Pat Kelsey was very enthusiastic about the addition of Burns to the Winthrop squad. “…What strikes me most is his humility. He wants to be part of something great here at Winthrop. His smile lights up a room and his energy is infectious,” Kelsey said. “…DJ Burns is one of the best basketball talents our beloved city has ever produced. And he’s coming home.”
Burns joins a roster full of new faces, with only five players on scholarship that saw game time for Winthrop last season. Along with Burns as a redshirt freshman, Winthrop’s team will also feature four true freshmen.
Chase Claxton, a freshman forward from Greenville, and Russell Jones Jr., a freshman guard from Blythewood, will be the other two scholarship players representing the state of South Carolina on Winthrop’s roster.
This will be the first time Winthrop has had multiple South Carolinians on scholarship since the 2016-17 season and the first time having three on scholarship since 2011-12, which was the final season before the Pat Kelsey era began.
Could DJ Burns be the ‘Zion Williamson of the Big South’? If his three years at York Prep were any sign of what is to come, in which he scored over 1,000 points and recorded more than 1,000 rebounds, then there is certainly reason to have hope.
