IN PHOTOS: NC State star DJ Burns Jr. shares heartwarming snippets from thrilling 2024 March Madness journey
NC State Wolfpack forward DJ Burns Jr. had an incredible final collegiate season, making a name for himself in the basketball scene as a key player during their March Madness run.
Following the NCAA Tournament journey, Burns shared a heartfelt Instagram post with pictures reminiscing his incredible season.
The snaps included photos of him taking the court for NC State and a few poses with the ACC championship trophy. In the caption, Burns wrote about how he was going to miss his time donning the No. 30 jersey for the Wolfpack.
"I bet they gone say, when he went out he took everything with em. 30 gonna miss you. It was so much fun hanging banners with you. Just remember THE PACK IS BACK", DJ Burns Jr. wrote.
Burns began his collegiate career as a redshirt freshman for the Tennessee Volunteers in 2018. After just one season, he transferred to the Winthrop Eagles for three seasons before joining the Wolfpack ahead of the 2022 season.
During his debut campaign with NC State, Burns averaged 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. This year, the 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward averaged 12.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 2.9 apg with a field goal percentage of 53.1%.
During NC State's upset victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament championship game, Burns totaled 20 points, four rebounds and seven assists. He contributed to the program lifting its first title since 1987 and was named as the tournament MVP.
The contest between DJ Burns Jr. and Purdue's Zach Edey in the Final Four of this year's NCAA Tournament on Saturday was highly anticipated. In the end, Edey and the Boilermakers emerged as the better team to advance to the final, where they succumbed to the defending champion UConn Huskies 75-60 on Monday.
Also read: "They're the Michael Jordan of college basketball": Stephen A. Smith on UConn's impeccable 6-0 record after Huskies win another national championship
Did DJ Burns Jr. declare for the 2024 NBA draft?
NC State forward DJ Burns Jr. has not declared for the upcoming NBA draft. But with the deadline still a few weeks away, there is a possibility that we might see Burns take the next step in his basketball journey.
Burns also reiterated his interest in playing professional basketball amid rumors of NFL general managers having an interest in him playing football. On "The Dan Patrick Show," he said that he would first like to explore options with his primary sport before making any decision.
"I'd probably explore some more options with basketball first before all that happened," Burns said. "I'm not a close-minded person."
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