Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 7, 1992 TAG: 9202070161
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-13 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
EVEN UNDER COACH'S PRESSURE, COUGARS' BURNS CAN BE A FORCE
When Chris Burns loosens his shoelaces, lets his naural smile shine through and just has some fun, he can be quite a basketball player.But even when that doesn't happen, which is frequently the case with Pulaski County's 6-foot-3-inch senior, he can be a force.
Last week, Burns showed what he can do when he approaches the game with an uncluttered mind. Describing Pulaski County's 73-69 victory over William Fleming as one of his most carefree outings ever, Burns scorched the Colonels for 30 points, 16 of them coming in the third quarter when he had four of his five three-pointers.
"I'm not sure what happened, but I just decided not to worry about doing something wrong," he said.
What's the worry? To be frank, he has a demanding coach.
Pat Burns, the Cougars' boss, also happens to be Chris' father.
"Because he's my dad, I know what he goes through when we lose," Chris Burns said. "I don't want to see him go through that stuff. He just has a strong desire to win. He hates to lose. I try to play to be perfect, not to make any mistakes."
Nice goal, but an unobtainable one for the most part.
"Chris probably plays better in the summer at camps than he does around here in the winter," Pat Burns said. "Playing for your father is tough. I'm a lot tougher on him than I am on anybody else. I can live with other people's mistakes a lot better than I can with his.
"But that's not fair to him."
Tough on son; tough on father.
Everybody is more relaxed now that the Cougars have gotten hot. Going into tonight's game with Cave Spring, Pulaski County had won seven straight after starting 3-6.
Chris Burns has had something to do with that. He's the third-leading scorer in the Roanoke Valley District (18 points per game), he's second on the team with seven points per game and he's considered the squad's top defender.
Furthermore, he's strong, which is one of the reasons he's a good rebounder. When he latches onto the basketball, he won't let go.
"He's as good an all-around player as I've coached," said Pat Burns, whose standards obviously are high.
Pat Burns says that Chris Burns has been a late bloomer, much in the tradition of former Cougars' standouts Ron Shelburne and Jonathan Penn. Both those players went on to play college basketball. Shelburne had a record-setting career at Radford; Penn is now one of VMI's top players.
"I think Chris' best basketball is ahead of him," Pat Burns said.
Colleges have shown an interest in scouting Burns. Some of the bigger names include William and Mary, VMI and North Carolina-Asheville.
One of the reasons Chris Burns developed late was that he was allowed to proceed at his own pace.
"When I was little, he [Pat Burns] didn't push me into playing basketball," Chris said. "It wasn't until I went to him and said, `You teach other people how to shoot a basketball, why don't you show me?'
"He gave me some drills to do and stuff to work on and we went from there. Now, we don't talk about basketball all the time; but he will tell me the things that I need to work on."
Burns has been on varsity three years, two as a starter. His improvement has been substantial each year. This past summer, he went to five different camps.
"I played well this summer," he said. "I worked harder on it. I realized how much basketball meant to me."