THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 22, 1995 TAG: 9512200171
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 19 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
As a sixth-grader, Heath Burris looked on in awe as he saw Greenbrier Christian basketball history in the making. He watched with utter admiration as Jeff Jeffries scored his 2,000th point for the Gators back in 1989.
Burris, then a manager and student at Centerville Elementary School, only dreamed that his basketball career could follow Jeffries'.
And it has.
Last Tuesday against Poquoson, Burris became the second player in Greenbrier Christian history to score 1,000 points. The 6-foot-4 senior sank a free throw and then nailed a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to finish with 22 points and join the 1,000-point club.
``I was relieved,'' he said. ``I'm happy that it's over. It's been in the back of my head how many points I needed. Now I can go back to just playing rather than focusing on scoring and getting 1,000 points.''
But according to coach Terry Evans, that's all Burris has ever done. Evans says that Burris' unselfish play is a big reason why the Gators are off to their best start ever with a 7-2 record.
``Last year was a really rough year for us,'' said Evans of his team's 10-16 finish. ``Heath's provided us with a lot of the leadership that we needed.
``It's not like he was out hunting shots. He was still playing team ball. He works hard. He's one of the smarter players we've had and he makes good decisions on the court.''
Burris, however, might say otherwise if you were talking about his game against Norfolk Collegiate three nights before he hit 1,000.
``I couldn't buy a bucket,'' he said. ``I missed a lot of easy shots that I usually don't have any problem with.''
Despite his cold night, Burris still scored 12 points. Then Friday night, the Gators knocked off previously undefeated Metro power Hampton Christian behind Burris' 26-point performance. The Gators pulled away in the third quarter with an 18-8 run sparked by his 11 points.
For the season, Burris is averaging 24.3 points and eight rebounds a game. He's shooting 48.69 percent from the floor and 73.5 percent from the free throw line.
But numbers don't seem to matter to Burris. Only the ones in his team's win column.
``It's more important to me that we're 7-2,'' he said. ``The players this year enjoy playing with each other and we're playing team ball.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Heath Burris
Greenbrier Christian star
by CNB