There never was any serious doubt that ACC Rookie of the Year and Notre Dame guard Markus Burton would return to school. When he announced that he was declaring for the NBA draft, he made it clear that it was little more than figuring out where he stood among the players about to turn pro. Not receiving an invite to the draft combine answered that question.
Accordingly, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports is reporting that Burton personally told him that he’s heading back to the Irish:
Notre Dame's Markus Burton tells me that he will withdraw from the 2024 NBA Draft and return to school next season.
Averaged 17.5 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 3.3 RPG last year as a freshman.
Will be one of the best guards in the ACC in 2024-25.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 17, 2024
So with that, the Irish officially can move forward with the team they have for the 2024-25 season, and Burton will be at its epicenter. The goal in Micah Shrewsberry’s second year in charge is to build on his first season.
Make no mistake about the fact that something is being built in South Bend. It probably will be a few years before we really can start to expect any truly good teams, but Burton can be the face for all that hopefully is to come for the Irish.
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