IU basketball summer in review: Markus Burton

• Alex Bozich

• 35m ago

 

Welcome to IU basketball “summer in review,” where we will recap the summer that was for the program’s 2026-27 roster.

The Hoosiers, representing the United States, played an exhibition game in Assembly Hall in July and four games in the FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.

Next up: Markus Burton

Previously: Prince-Alexander Moody, Vaughn Karvala, Trevor Manhertz, Trent Sisley, Aiden Sherrell, Darren Harris, Samet Yigitoglu

A 6-foot, 190-pound guard from Mishawaka, Indiana, Burton transferred to Indiana after three seasons at Notre Dame.

Burton, who is expected to have two seasons of eligibility remaining, averaged 19.1 points, 3.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 33.2 minutes per game for the Fighting Irish in 69 games.

You can read our summer feature on Burton from June 24 at this link.

Game-by-game statistics for Burton this summer

• Exhibition vs. Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf: 11 points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field. Burton added six assists, six rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot in 22 minutes.

• FISU America Games vs. Peru: 10 points, six assists, four rebounds and one steal.

• FISU America Games vs. Virgin Islands: 11 points, two rebounds and one assist.

• FISU America Games vs. Chile: Four points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds.

• FISU America Games vs Virgin Islands: Two points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

• Final Averages at the FISU America Games: Burton averaged 6.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. He shot 11-for-25 from the field (44.0 percent), 1-for-6 on 3-pointers (16.6 percent) and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line (66.7 percent).

Notes on Burton from open practices

• June 18 practice notes: “The former Notre Dame point guard doesn’t need much room to operate, nor will his opponent dictate his pace. He’s quick and confident in his decision-making. If he’s given space to get to the rim, he will take it. He’s also comfortable operating in the mid-range and is a willing facilitator for his teammates. Burton was a key addition for the IU staff out of the portal and he appeared fully healthy on Thursday.”

• June 25 practice notes: “The Notre Dame transfer has tremendous speed and quickness and it’s fun to watch him go against Justin Monden as the two go at each other with intensity. Burton really does a good job of using his quickness to get to his spots off the dribble. He plays at his own pace and his midrange game is very polished. The one thing that stands out with Burton is that he’s always smiling on the court and having fun with teammates. The energy and enthusiasm will hopefully be contagious as this group continues to grow throughout the summer.”

• July 7 practice notes: “Burton continues to show why he was such a productive player over the last three seasons at Notre Dame. He’s a willing distributor who gets where he wants with the ball and has the speed to get all the way to the rim. The midrange is a pivotal part of his game. Defenses that choose to go under screens on him will likely be burned by his polished midrange shot, which he isn’t afraid to take. As was the case in the first two practices we observed, Burton talks a lot on the floor and competes hard on every possession.”

Five summer quotes from Burton

On being able to balance scoring versus playmaking for others:

“Just reading the game, playing the game, taking what the defense gives you, not overthinking it, playing off your skills. So if I’m a scorer, score the ball, but if they stop you, then that’s the time to find teammates. But it’s very easy to balance it once you know what you’re doing and once you pick your spots, you know who to get involved and stuff like that.”

On what it will be like operating in ball screens with Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu:

“It’s gonna be fun. It’s definitely gonna be fun with those two guys. Big Aiden is a great player, and I’m really excited for people to see who he really is and show his game out there.

“Big Samet is strong. He’s gonna be a great, great aspect for us and for our team. So it’s just gonna be a great show, man. I’m excited. I love my teammates and yeah.”

On the things that he does well that will impact winning:

“Just being a dog, man. Like I said before, just being a hard-nosed dog. Obviously, I know I’m not the biggest, I’m not the strongest, so I gotta find a knack to stay on the court and help my teammates win and I feel like me just being a dog and just being tenacious and just having fun with it and I feel like nobody can stop me, so that’s just that.”

On how important having great people in the program is to winning:

“It goes a long way, man, because obviously you need great guys in your life. You need great guys on your team because when things go bad, where are those great guys at? What happens when things go wrong? What happens when things go good?

“So you need guys like that just to stay with each other and just stay true to each other and just have fun with it. Say if something goes bad, we can lean on each other, for instance. So I feel like that’s what we have.”

On what stood out about Darian DeVries and made him want to play for him:

“Everything, obviously. Like I said, I’ve been knowing Coach DeVries for a very long time and it’s just the trust that he’s seen in me and he believed in me. Just when a coach trusts you and believes in you to lead his team, that means a lot and that shows who he really is as a person.”

“So, I can’t wait to play for him.”

Burton video Q&A

Darian DeVries on Burton

“I think Markus, like his numbers almost speak for themselves, like his ability to score at a high, high level against a really, really good competition. The thing that was impressive, though, is he can play make for people, too. It’s not just score. Like, when you watch the film from his games before he got hurt last year, he made a lot of really good decisions with the ball and pick and roll and I’m excited about that.

“His ability just to go by somebody, to go play make. And he might be one of the more elite mid-range shooters in the country. And that’s something when you think about attacking, pick and roll defense, a lot of teams are in the drop.

“But when you have a point guard that can come off that thing and get to 12 to 15 feet, a lot of teams want you to shoot that. But when you have a guy like Markus where that’s what he thrives on, that puts you in a tough spot and how you want to cover. But I think he’s going to be great.

“I’m excited about his ability to play on and off the ball because he can score without it. He can score with it. And I think he’s going to be set up to have a great year.”

See More: Commentary, Markus Burton