Men's Basketball Signs Derek Burditt
Nov 14, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2001
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Derek Burditt (Harvey, La.) has signed a national letter of intent to attend Tulane University, Green Wave men's basketball coach Shawn Finney announced Wednesday.
Burditt, who is a student at West Jefferson High School, was named the Louisiana Class 5A Player of the Year after his junior season when he averaged 17.6 points per game for Ehret High School. A 6-6, 210-pound wing forward, he is rated as the No. 46 prep player in the nation by ESPN.com.
"Derek is a versatile wing player who will bring a great winning attitude to this program," Finney said. "I think he will be a top player in Conference USA."
Last season, Burditt helped Ehret advance to the state tournament for the first time since 1993. The Patriots lost to Shaw in the semifinals. During his sophomore season, he helped Ehret win 31 consecutive games before losing to Hammond in the quarterfinals.
"Since my first day here at Tulane, I have said that it is a priority for us to recruit the top players in the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana," Finney said. "I am very pleased to have the top player in the state choose Tulane."
"Derek Burditt is a huge recruit [for Tulane] for several reasons," said Clark Francis, a recruiting expert from HoopScoopOnline.com. "He is the type of player who helps you win at the big-time college level. He is also important because he establishes that Tulane can keep the top kids in its backyard home. When building a top program, that is always a must. With a player like that, Tulane is in with everybody in the next couple of classes."
Burditt will join four other Louisiana natives on the Green Wave roster: junior guard Brandon Spann (New Orleans), junior forwards Brandon Brown (Houma) and Nick Sinville (Shreveport) and freshman guard Ben Benfield (River Ridge).
