Fred Hoiberg’s activity in the transfer market continued over the weekend when former Marquette wing Deonte Burton committed to play for Iowa State next season. Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski announced Burton would be leaving the program back on December 9. The sophomore will be able to play for the Cyclones after the first semester of next year and will have one and a half years of eligibility remaining. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello is reporting that Burton will ask the NCAA for a waiver to receive this year of eligibility back due to the passing of his mother in October.
Burton is an intriguing case for Iowa State. He was recruited to Marquette by Buzz Williams who left for Virginia Tech after last season. Burton was the 52nd ranked player in the Class of 2013 according to Rivals, and was billed as an explosive slasher who need to improve on his jump shot in order to live up to his potential. During his freshman season, the 6-foot-4 wing only played 12.6 minutes per game but his averages of 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds resulted in per 40 minutes numbers (22.1 points and 6.9 rebounds) that suggested a potential breakout sophomore season. Unfortunately, through nine games, it hasn’t materialized. Burton is playing more minutes (16.1) this season, but his scoring (6.4) and rebounding (1.4) numbers are down.
Burton will fill a need for Hoiberg’s Iowa State squad in 2015-16. The Cyclones are set to lose seniors Bryce Dejean-Jones and Dustin Hogue on the wing, so bringing in Burton can assist in filling those roles. That being said, it will be interesting to see how Hoiberg integrates the Marquette transfer into the Cyclones’ offense. Burton has certainly shown an ability to get to the basket for the Golden Eagles, taking 44.5 percent of his shots at the rim while converting on 63.9 percent of them according to data from hoop-math.com. However, he is not the kind of proven 3-point threat that Hoiberg consistently uses on the wing to space the floor. While Burton has knocked down 44.4 percent of his 3-point attempts while at Marquette, he has only taken 18 total 3-pointers in a year and a half of play.
Hoiberg has earned some deference with regards to the recruiting of transfers. He has seen success over the years with Korie Lucious, Deandre Kane, and Bryce Dejean-Jones, so you have to imagine that Hoiberg has a role in mind for Burton. At worst, Burton will provide Iowa State with depth on the wing, but his freshman per 40 minutes numbers suggest another potential diamond in the rough for Hoiberg.