GLENDALE, Ariz. — The biggest star of this NCAA Tournament plays four instruments, the tuba, piano, baritone saxophone and upright bass.
He is a fan of fashion and anime, a limited athlete who won’t wow you with his limited athleticism.
A few NFL draft analysts believe he has a brighter future in football, because of his 6-foot-9, 275-pound frame, soft hands and nimble feet despite quitting the sport in the eighth grade.
Meet DJ Burns Jr., N.C. State’s fun-loving forward who has guided the 11th-seeded Wolfpack to their first Final Four since 1983 and has made a name for himself in the process.
In a tournament that has seen defending national champion Connecticut roll through its first four games untested and Purdue and back-to-back Associated Press Player of the Year Zach Edey overcome past March demons, Burns has been the draw few saw coming.
Even Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic brought him up in a press conference.
“I think he’s so skilled, especially [as a] lefty,” said Jokic, not one to throw out unwarranted compliments. “I’d love to be lefty. It seems like teammates like to play with him. Gotta be a good guy.”
“I think he will be the Mayor of Raleigh one day,” added N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts, ahead of the national semifinal against No. 1 Purdue Saturday night at State Farm Stadium.
Surrounded by a horde of media, Burns was peppered with questions about his future, his body and his game.
He does not plan on attempting to play football (“I’m a basketball player”), he doesn’t let the jokes about his physique bother him (“people need something to talk about”) and his post game came from watching a lot of Hakeem Olajuwon clips as a kid (“I just ended up with a Zach Randolph body”).
He’s trying to savor the moment.
“I’d say it’s extraordinary,” said Burns, who has landed Name, Image & Likeness deals with Manscaped, Raising Cane’s and Adidas during this run, among others. “You don’t get to do things like this too much. Being here is compared to nothing else. This is like one big party to everyone who’s watching.”
Burns is a character who keeps it light, his teammates say.
Ben Middlebrooks, a transfer from Clemson, remembered the first day he met Burns.
He walked into the gym with sunglasses on, a large chain dangling around his neck and music blasting.
He made fellow starting forward Mohamed Diarra laugh during their first encounter.
After the Elite Eight win over Duke, he took time to take photos with security guards from American Airlines Center in Dallas.
“When he walks in the room, you know he’s there,” Middlebrooks said. “He gives everyone life and gives everyone energy.”
It’s been quite a ride for the big man from Rock Hill, S.C., who started his career at Tennessee, developed into a quality player at Winthrop and landed at N.C. State prior to last season.
The Wolfpack were headed nowhere at the start of the ACC Tournament. Coach Kevin Keatts was expected to lose his job.
They haven’t lost since, winning nine straight elimination games.
In that time, Burns has been terrific, averaging 16.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
In the win over Duke, he got the better of projected lottery pick Kyle Filipowski, torching him for 29 points on 13 of 19 shooting.
“I think it’s kind of unfair the way people treat him,” Edey said. “People kind of treat him like he’s a sideshow. He’s a really good basketball player, don’t get that mistaken, and we’re going to give him that respect and treat him like that, because he’s earned it.”
Middlebrooks understands better than most how difficult it is to defend Burns.
He faced him when he was at Clemson and has practiced against him all season.
Some days, a two-hour workout feels like it is eight hours long, because of how difficult it is to guard someone who is so strong, shifty and skilled in the post.
“I remember saying, ‘What on earth am I supposed to do with this guy?’ ” Middlebrooks recalled of that first meeting.
All eyes will be on Burns and Edey Saturday night.
Nobody has stopped either player in this tournament.
Edey is expected to be the first unanimous back-to-back Player of the Year since Ralph Sampson in 1982-83, and is coming off a magnificent 40-point, 16-rebound domination of second-seeded Tennessee.
Burns won’t be in awe of him.
“I don’t care about his accomplishments. He’s got to lace them up like me,” he said. “He hasn’t had anybody who puts scoring pressure on him as much as I will, for sure. Maybe he did, but not on a stage like this.”
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