At 17 years old, Jordan Burns turned to meditation to help him find his way. The then-junior in high school wasn’t sure if his commitment to play Division II basketball at Midwestern State was best for him. So, he turned to God.

He wrote seven lines of scripture on the wall above his bed and arranged them as a pyramid with phrases like “No weapon against me shall prosper” and “Fear not, for God is with you.”

The phrases guided him in the direction of Division I basketball, despite not being recruited. And that’s when he met Colgate head coach Matt Langel. The Colgate coach originally set out to recruit fellow San Antonio native David Favorite, said Burns’ father, Eroy. This led to a formal introduction between Langel and Burns, and eventually a spot on Colgate’s roster.

“He has to fight hard for everything he has,” Arenda Burns, Jordan’s mother, said, “because he never wanted to feel like a loser.”

Two years after meeting Langel, Burns is now the second leading scorer for Colgate (3-5). The freshman guard is averaging 13.5 points and 2.4 assists per game off the bench with a 52 percent from the floor. The San Antonio native’s mid-range shot and driving ability are shining, Langel said. Colgate, which returns 93 percent of its scoring production from last season, will enter the Carrier Dome on Saturday to tip off against Syracuse (7-1).

“(Burns’) talent is deserving of opportunity,” Langel said.

Despite his talent, Burns wasn’t always focused on basketball. He was a standout football player in middle school, Arenda said. Burns played five positions, primarily quarterback, while playing basketball on the side. But something was missing.

A friend of Burns recommended that he should focus on playing football because “he was too short to excel in basketball,” Arenda said.

“He snapped,” Arenda said.

This lead him to a DunkNow DVD, a video program that taught kids how to improve their vertical jumps. Burns, who was well under 6 feet tall at the time, played the disc every night. He wanted to learn how to dunk, Eroy Burns said. One night, Eroy Burns came home from work and heard a loud, banging sound downstairs. After trying to improve his jumping ability, Burns was finally able to hit the ceiling fan in the family’s living room with his head.

Years later the jumping transitioned to the basketball court. The point guard dunked over 30 times during his senior season, according to Reggie Ollendieck, the head coach at Burns’ high school, Marshall (Texas).

Burns has been doing more than just dunking for Colgate in his first season with the Raiders. On Nov. 19 against University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Burns scored 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting with three rebounds and three assists. Burns said Langel put the ball in his hands near the end of the game. With just under three minutes remaining and Colgate up one point, Burns made two layups and sank a jumper to account for six of the Raiders’ final 12 points.

“He’s got the leadership trait,” Langel said. “… It’s easy to adjust (as a team) to his personality type.”

Published on December 7, 2017 at 9:20 pm

Contact KJ: kjedelma@syr.edu | @KJEdelman