Post by rgs318 on Dec 21, 2018 7:29:34 GMT -5
From the Siena Board:
Elijah Burns joins Siena men's basketball program
Troy native cleared to practice, waiting to see if he can play this season
By Mark Singelais6:02 pm EST, Monday, December 17, 2018
Loudonville
Elijah Burns and a teammate waited for a few moments outside the keyless entry to Siena's practice gymnasium on Monday before someone finally let them in. It would be understandable if Burns, a Troy native, didn't have the code yet. After all, he just joined the Saints this weekend after finishing classes at Notre Dame. He met with the local media and later in the day received clearance to start practicing with the Saints. Now it’s a waiting game to see if the Notre Dame transfer will be eligible to play for them this season.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,’’ Burns said. “Like I said, I’m always ready to play, and when it happens, it happens.”
Burns, a 6-foot-8, 238-pound forward, is transferring to the Saints at midseason after spending 3½ years with the Fighting Irish.
“It feels great to be home, to be back around my family, to get back in the gym,’’ Burns said. “I’m really looking forward to getting out on the floor with the guys.”
He joined the Saints after final exams ended at Notre Dame on Saturday. Burns completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology and will enroll in Siena’s master of business administration program. Graduate transfers are typically able to play for their new teams immediately because they’re entering at the start of the school year. However, Burns already participated in four games for Notre Dame this season, so he requires an NCAA waiver to play for Siena this season.
Former Notre Dame basketball player Elijah Burns talks to members of the media at Siena men's basketball practice on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, in Loudonville, N.Y. Burns, a Troy native, has transferred to Siena and will play for the college's basketball team.
If his waiver is denied, Burns won't be able to play for Siena until the 2019-2020 season.
“Hopefully, they (the NCAA) look into the heart of Elijah and the things he’s been able to do at Notre Dame and look at the impact he made there and hopefully they see he can make that same impact here for us,’’ Siena head coach Jamion Christian said.
Burns has 1½ years of athletic eligibility remaining because he missed his freshman season at Notre Dame because of injury.
“I just want to play,’’ Burns said. “That’s it. Just get here with these guys and go win some games.”
Burns didn't think it would be difficult to learn Christian's "Mayhem" system.
"I've been watching practice and how things go,'' Burns said. "I'll pick it up really quickly."
He won’t be in uniform when Siena plays the defending Colonial Athletic Association champion College of Charleston at Times Union Center on Tuesday night. However, he will be able to practice after that because Siena received verification on Monday afternoon that he graduated from Notre Dame.
He didn’t practice Monday and hasn't in about a month since leaving Notre Dame's program.
“I think it’s a great fit,’’ Burns said. “I’m very comfortable with the guys on the floor and the coaching staff, so I’m super excited to be a part of it.”
Burns starred at La Salle Institute before transferring to Blair Academy in New Jersey. Then he chose to play at Notre Dame of the Atlantic Coast Conference, where he averaged 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds over 44 career games.
“It’s great,’’ Siena senior forward Kevin Degnan said. “He’s a great player. He’s local, which is awesome. I’m sure he’s really happy to be back and he can do a lot of things for us. He’s big, strong, can shoot the ball and can dribble, so we’re excited to have him on the team.”
Degnan, from Pearl River, already knew Burns because they played against each other in high school and AAU competition. "Just be with him as much as possible, whether it's in the gym or outside of the gym," Degnan said. "I feel like he's already been with this team for a while. We're just accepting him here." Christian hopes to get more major-conference transfers into Siena's program with help from the college's new MBA program. The Saints had never had a graduate transfer until this year with point guard Braedon Bayer (Syracuse) and Burns.
"We're going to tap into that at the highest level,'' Christian said. "In general, you want to have smart people around, so you want to have people that have that higher-level education. That's important. The smarter people you can have around, it's going to make our program better. More maturity into our program, being able to inject that year in and year out."
Note: Christian said senior forward Evan Fisher, who missed the past two games with a lower-body injury, will be back against College of Charleston. Junior forward Sammy Friday, who also has a lower-body injury, remains sidelined and it's unclear when he'll return.
Elijah Burns joins Siena men's basketball program
Troy native cleared to practice, waiting to see if he can play this season
By Mark Singelais6:02 pm EST, Monday, December 17, 2018
Loudonville
Elijah Burns and a teammate waited for a few moments outside the keyless entry to Siena's practice gymnasium on Monday before someone finally let them in. It would be understandable if Burns, a Troy native, didn't have the code yet. After all, he just joined the Saints this weekend after finishing classes at Notre Dame. He met with the local media and later in the day received clearance to start practicing with the Saints. Now it’s a waiting game to see if the Notre Dame transfer will be eligible to play for them this season.
“I’m fine. I’m fine,’’ Burns said. “Like I said, I’m always ready to play, and when it happens, it happens.”
Burns, a 6-foot-8, 238-pound forward, is transferring to the Saints at midseason after spending 3½ years with the Fighting Irish.
“It feels great to be home, to be back around my family, to get back in the gym,’’ Burns said. “I’m really looking forward to getting out on the floor with the guys.”
He joined the Saints after final exams ended at Notre Dame on Saturday. Burns completed his bachelor’s degree in psychology and will enroll in Siena’s master of business administration program. Graduate transfers are typically able to play for their new teams immediately because they’re entering at the start of the school year. However, Burns already participated in four games for Notre Dame this season, so he requires an NCAA waiver to play for Siena this season.
Former Notre Dame basketball player Elijah Burns talks to members of the media at Siena men's basketball practice on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, in Loudonville, N.Y. Burns, a Troy native, has transferred to Siena and will play for the college's basketball team.
If his waiver is denied, Burns won't be able to play for Siena until the 2019-2020 season.
“Hopefully, they (the NCAA) look into the heart of Elijah and the things he’s been able to do at Notre Dame and look at the impact he made there and hopefully they see he can make that same impact here for us,’’ Siena head coach Jamion Christian said.
Burns has 1½ years of athletic eligibility remaining because he missed his freshman season at Notre Dame because of injury.
“I just want to play,’’ Burns said. “That’s it. Just get here with these guys and go win some games.”
Burns didn't think it would be difficult to learn Christian's "Mayhem" system.
"I've been watching practice and how things go,'' Burns said. "I'll pick it up really quickly."
He won’t be in uniform when Siena plays the defending Colonial Athletic Association champion College of Charleston at Times Union Center on Tuesday night. However, he will be able to practice after that because Siena received verification on Monday afternoon that he graduated from Notre Dame.
He didn’t practice Monday and hasn't in about a month since leaving Notre Dame's program.
“I think it’s a great fit,’’ Burns said. “I’m very comfortable with the guys on the floor and the coaching staff, so I’m super excited to be a part of it.”
Burns starred at La Salle Institute before transferring to Blair Academy in New Jersey. Then he chose to play at Notre Dame of the Atlantic Coast Conference, where he averaged 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds over 44 career games.
“It’s great,’’ Siena senior forward Kevin Degnan said. “He’s a great player. He’s local, which is awesome. I’m sure he’s really happy to be back and he can do a lot of things for us. He’s big, strong, can shoot the ball and can dribble, so we’re excited to have him on the team.”
Degnan, from Pearl River, already knew Burns because they played against each other in high school and AAU competition. "Just be with him as much as possible, whether it's in the gym or outside of the gym," Degnan said. "I feel like he's already been with this team for a while. We're just accepting him here." Christian hopes to get more major-conference transfers into Siena's program with help from the college's new MBA program. The Saints had never had a graduate transfer until this year with point guard Braedon Bayer (Syracuse) and Burns.
"We're going to tap into that at the highest level,'' Christian said. "In general, you want to have smart people around, so you want to have people that have that higher-level education. That's important. The smarter people you can have around, it's going to make our program better. More maturity into our program, being able to inject that year in and year out."
Note: Christian said senior forward Evan Fisher, who missed the past two games with a lower-body injury, will be back against College of Charleston. Junior forward Sammy Friday, who also has a lower-body injury, remains sidelined and it's unclear when he'll return.