Forward Raleigh Burgess, who is 6 feet 10 inches tall, believed that his 16u Indiana Premier team had a good chance of winning the Adidas 3SSB championship in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and at the ending, they were right.
Burgess is joined on the Indiana Elite team by another IU prospect Travis Perry, Iowa pledge Cooper Koch, and rising star Flory Bidunga from the home state. The Indiana Elite team was simply too good on the inside and the outside.
Raleigh Burgess getting up for the flush! #SHINE @raleigh_burgess pic.twitter.com/UNR3wFrrbC
— Shining Star AAU (@ShiningStarAAU) July 24, 2021
Who Is Raleigh Burgess?
On the opening day of the competition in Rock Hill, Burgess told The Daily Hoosier that his Indiana Elite squad has “good guards, excellent size, everyone has a fantastic attitude, and the culture (of the team) is absolutely everything.”
Mike Woodson, the head coach of Indiana, and Brian Walsh, an assistant coach, have been keeping an eye on the club.
The number of top big college coaches who have taken notice of Burgess’s game has increased dramatically as a result of the significant improvements he has made to it on his own. The Adidas triumph was only the most recent achievement for Burgess.
The 6-foot-10 forward from Cincinnati, Ohio, has recently received an offer from the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are the most recent team to do so. Along with Ole Miss, Penn State, Purdue, Wake Forest, Xavier, Charleston, Cincinnati, Dayton, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Charleston, and Iowa are pursuing Burgess.
Recently Burgess visited Iowa and he commented “I could see myself there”. However, even though the Iowa Hawkeyes are among the best NCAAB teams in the country, there is a ton of competition from other schools on the young prospect.
Cincinatti (OH) Sycamore 2024 three-star center Raleigh Burgess, who ranks inside the top-150 nationally, recaps his visit to #Iowa on Saturday.
Burgess goes through how he could fit at #Iowa, what stands out, etc.
"I could see myself there."
— Sean Bock (@SBock247) September 18, 2022
A Look Over The Class Of 2024
A short while ago, Rivals ranked him as the 120th best overall talent in the class of 2024, which allowed him to make his debut in the national rankings.
He told The Daily Hoosier about the sudden rush of attention, “It’s exciting, and it’s also humbling because not many kids get to do it,” and he was referring to the experience.
Burgess, who is 6 feet 10 inches tall and plays a game that is both diversified inside and out, feels that his current set of skills is what has attracted a big number of coaches this summer and spring. Burgess plays a position that is both unique inside and out.
He states that during his time playing for Indiana Elite and at Sycamore High School, he has made roughly forty percent of the three-point shots he has tried. Burgess, in his opinion, would perform the best at the next level if he were to play the stretch-four position.
Additional @adidas3SSB Championships post standouts:
2023
Samson Aletan (Southern Assault)
Juslin Bodo (Team Lillard)
Boden Kapke (D1 Minnesota)2024
📷 Raleigh Burgess (Indiana Elite)
Mason Hagedorn (Garner Road)
Peyton Marshall (Game Elite)
Clash Peters (Team Loaded NC) pic.twitter.com/wA4SNrtQMe— ELITE High School Scouting (@EliteHSscouting) July 12, 2022
Burgess Making Waves Already
The common message that Burgess has received from the coaches who have recently offered him opportunities is “It’s a mixture of my size, knowledge of the game, and my ability to shoot with my size, it all just mixes in,” Burgess said.
During the 2021-22 season, Burgess made two unofficial visits to Indiana, during which he attended two games played by the Indiana Hoosiers. An encouraging word from a supporter in his camp was beneficial to IU’s cause.
Burgess is an extremely athletic prospect despite the fact that he is only 6-foot-10 in height. Not only is he capable of sinking jumpers from beyond the three-point line, but he can also beat his defender off the bounce and finish in close proximity to the basket. He boasts both of these abilities.
A real inside-out threat, Burgess is a wonderful fit for the Hawkeyes. Still, he has a ton of interest coming from Big Ten schools following a strong performance with Indiana Elite over the past several months on the AAU circuit.
Let’s do it again Sycamore Aves.. Raleigh Burgess is up for best Center in Ohio! Vote as often as you can at the link below 👇 https://t.co/VZPDm8jHSx pic.twitter.com/uZyFkqgDaw
— Sycamore Athletic Boosters (@SycamoreAthlet1) January 12, 2022
Scouting Report
He recorded an average of 8.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game during his freshman season. As a sophomore, he improved in all of those areas, with an average of 10.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game (except for rebounding, I suppose). After the conclusion of the previous season, the Greater Miami Conference honored Burgess by naming him to the second team.
It is clear from his build that he has the potential to put on a respectable amount of weight without compromising his agility or athleticism. His shooting stroke appears to be in fantastic shape as well.
In a recent interview that he gave to Phenom Hoop Report, he drew comparisons between himself and Al Horford. That is the kind of player that any team would like to have on their lineup. Along with JT Rock from South Dakota and 4-star James Brown from Chicago, Burgess is the third big man that the University of Washington has extended an offer to during the ’24 cycle.
Raleigh Burgess (2024)
Height: 6’11
HS: Sycamore
Grassroots: Indiana Elite
Position: Stretch Big
Calling Card: 3 & D
Current Offers: Clemson, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, Xavier, Dayton, Purdue, Iowa, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Indiana, Wake Forest, Penn State https://t.co/wiSzflrqWZ pic.twitter.com/MPhcIMgel7— Circuit Scouting (@CircuitScouting) July 26, 2022
Final Thoughts
Burgess appears to be the type of player that the Hawkeyes might easily incorporate into their squad; therefore, we would be very interested to see more clips of his play.
It will also be fascinating to see if he and Koch want to play together in college, as a lot of the same teams have considered Koch as Burgess, and whether or not colleges are willing to provide them a “package deal” circumstance. A lot of the same teams have considered Burgess as Koch.
With the addition of bulk for his junior and senior seasons, Burgess should jump in the 2024 class rankings and make an impact on whichever college program he chooses.
After a great visit with @ChrisHoltmann and @CoachJackOwens at The Ohio State University, I’m excited to announce that I’ve received an offer! @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/FmrGNFrk0D
— Raleigh Burgess (@raleigh_burgess) June 25, 2022
Credits On Featured Image: Phil Roeder on Flickr
