Jay Burson was a
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
and former player in the
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
.
Basketball career
High school
Burson attended
John Glenn High School in
New Concord
New Concord is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population is 2,491 as of the 2010 census. New Concord is the home of Muskingum University and is served by a branch of the Muskingum County Library System.
History
New Con ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
from 1981-85. During his sophomore season, he led the nation in scoring with a 44 points per game average. In his four seasons at John Glenn, he scored 2,958 points earning him the record for most points scored in the history of Ohio high school basketball.
He held that record for 22 years until it was beaten by Upper Sandusky senior
Jon Diebler
Jon Keith Diebler (born June 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player who is the director of recruiting for the Butler Bulldogs of the Big East Conference. He played four seasons of college basketball at Ohio State Universi ...
(3,208 points) in February 2007.
College
From 1986-89, Burson played for
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
in the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
.
He averaged 22.1 points a game for Gary Williams' Buckeyes in the 1988-89 season.
During a late season contest against Iowa in his senior year, Burson's college career came to an end when he collided with Ed Horton.
He was fitted with a traction brace that he had to wear for three months.
NBA
After his injury, Burson made an attempted comeback. In August 1989, Burson signed a three-year contract with the
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...
of the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
. He was one of six players the Rockets invited back from a rookie tryout camp in July and he reported for pre-season workouts that October.
[Marysville Journal-Tribune. August 18, 1989] After playing just four preseason games, however, it appeared that his playing days had ended.
CBA
In 1989, prior to signing with the Rockets, Burson had been selected as the first round draft pick - seventh overall - of the
Columbus Horizon
The Columbus Horizon is a defunct basketball team from Columbus, Ohio that played for five seasons in the Continental Basketball Association from 1989 to 1994.
History
Plans to bring professional basketball to Columbus were unveiled in Septembe ...
, a new
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
franchise. When it did not work out in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, Burson joined the Horizon for their first season.
CBA museum
/ref> Initially, Burson said he would not play in Columbus.
However, after being released by Houston and clearing waivers in October 1989, he decided to sign with the Horizon.[Marysville Journal-Tribune. Nov 27, 1989] "The Horizon is very pleased to have signed our No 1 pick," said owner Eli Jacobson. "Jay Burson was in the process of making future plans, and we're just glad the Horizon are part of his plans."
Burson wasn't signed just to sell tickets, Horizon coach Gary Youmans said. "We want Jay as a player, not as a drawing card. He might attract some fans but we want him so we can win ballgames."
He made his home debut in December 1989, scoring 15 points in a 132-123 loss to Pensacola in front of 3,272 fans. In 34 games with the Horizon in the 1989-90 season, Burson averaged 13.6 points a game. In September 1990, Burson was traded to the San Jose Jammers for a second-round pick in the 1991 CBA draft and a player to be named later.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burson, Jay
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Basketball players from Ohio
Columbus Horizon players
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players
People from New Concord, Ohio
Point guards
San Jose Jammers players