Dana Burns
Ht: 6-5
Wt: 205
Hometown: Richmond, VA
School: Mt. Zion Christian Academy
Class: 2003
Dana Burns is a very likable, good-natured wing prospect out of Richmond, VA. Burns is smart, rangy player with good perimeter skills and long wingspan, who is playing this summer for the Squires (VA) AAU basketball team.
BlueGoldNews.com spoke with Burns at the Adidas ABCD Basketball Camp in Hackensack, NJ about his recruitment and future plans.
Q: How is your summer going so far?
A: “It’s been good. This is the probably the last tournament I’m going to play in this summer because I’m going to take a couple of summer school courses to raise my overall GPA. I feel that’s in my best interest at this point.”
Q: What schools are you currently hearing from?
A: “The two schools that I hear from most are West Virginia and Clemson. They are recruiting me the hardest. There are one or two smaller schools but WVU and Clemson are the main ones.”
Q: Do you have a current leader or a top 5 or conference preference?
A: “No, I’m going to take my time and evaluate everything about the situation. I want to go to a school that I feel cares about me, not only as a basketball player, but as a person too. Like I said, the two schools recruiting me the hardest are West Virginia and Clemson. I’ve known Coach Beilein for a long time ... since his days at Richmond, that’s my man, I like him a lot.”
Q: When do you think you will make a decision as to where you will sign?
A: “I’m looking at signing early. I want to get it out of the way before the season starts.”
Dana Burns certainly appears to fit the philosophy of new WVU coach John Beilein. Burns shows enough versatility to possibly play both backcourt positions.
Burns prides himself on his work ethic. The rising senior guard, shows a good first step and the ability to penetrate and dish the ball off. Mountaineer fans should remember his name this fall, as he figures to be high on WVU's recruiting list.
CAMP NOTES:
Did you know former WVU basketball assistant coach Lanny Van Eman coached a pro team in the CBA this year? That's the CBA, as in, the Chinese Basketball Association. The same league that produced the NBA’s #1 pick, Yao Ming. Van Eman feels Ming will be very competitive against most of the NBA’s big men.
“He’s not ready for Shaq, but he will be able to hold his on with the majority of NBA players.”