Louisville basketball: Four new transfer names emerge for Cardinals

Jamarius Burton – Lead guard

Wichita State, Sophomore

2019-20 stats: 10.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.4 apg 

One thing that Chris Mack has clearly been keeping in mind during the early portion of transfer recruiting is his need for a point guard both short-term and long-term.

With David Johnson set to return next season, Mack’s need for a lead guard really lies down the road considering that the 6’5 guard caught a lot of looks late in the season following his massive performance against Duke.

Mack has already reached out to DJ Carton, a five-star guard who left Ohio State after one season, and now we know that he’s contacted Wichita State transfer, Jamarius Burton, per Jon Rothstein.

He was one of the first “big names” to the hit the transfer portal, doing so in part of what seems like a “mass exodus” for Gregg Marshall. He immediately received interest from a ton of high major programs and more than a week later he still has schools flooding in to land his services.

One of those schools just so happens to be Louisville, as Chris Mack continues his search far and wide for guards to replace Ryan McMahon, Fresh Kimble, and Darius Perry. Burton is what I would call a “prototype” Chris Mack guard due to his size (6’4), freakish length, and elite athleticism.

The former three-star recruit played two seasons at Wichita State where he averaged nearly eight points per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 34 percent from deep. His sophomore season served as a breakout year, as Burton achieved career-high averages in points, rebounds, and steals, and recorded 18 double-digit scoring games.

What would Louisville get in a player like Burton? Well, like I mentioned before Burton is a great athlete who thrives on both ends of the floor. He provides positional versatility, being able to play both the point and shooting guard positions, but has the ability to be a full-time lead guard due to his ability to make others better.

Burton did lead Wichita State in minutes played and assists this year, including shooting 38 percent from three but his numbers don’t necessarily tell the story, about his ability to lead an offense – especially considering all the dysfunction that led to seven players leaving the program.

His AAU coach told the Charlotte Observer during the late stages of his recruitment,

"“He’s a leader and a winner. On the court, he’s a floor general. Whatever school ends up getting him, they’re getting a pit bull. He’s a natural lead guard who can run a team, score the ball, and loves to play defense. He’ll do whatever it takes to win. Anytime we ever played a team that had a kid that was ranked, that’s who Jamarius wanted to guard. He can guard four different positions. I had him guarding the four man in some lineups. If our four man was having problems, we’d put Jamarius on him. It didn’t matter if he was 6’9″. He knows he can guard anybody.”"

That type of intensity and leadership is exactly what Mack needs for a roster that is filled with young players trying to round into leaders of their own. While Burton would have to sit out, his ability to transition into the next point guard behind David Johnson would be a welcomed addition to the Louisville roster.

Burton looks to be playing the long game when it comes to his second round of recruiting, as he plans to wait until he’s able to make visits before deciding. Louisville will have the ability to be patient if Burton is their guy, considering the other scholarships they have available and the potential that Jay Scrubb may not show up to play for the Cards.

If Burton truly is paying attention to the system fit and development abilities of the coaches recruiting him, he’ll soon see that Chris Mack and the Cards are great fit.