HOYA SAXA: Kentucky Transfer G/F Jordan Burks Commits to Georgetown

Cooley adds a talented, athletic wing for the Hoyas

Your Georgetown Hoyas have made another portal addition and added former Kentucky Wildcats wing Jordan Burks. Burks, 6’8” and 200 lbs., was part of Calipari’s 8-man freshman class and patiently waited for his number to be called, including filling in non-conference minutes with two injured centers. By many accounts, JB is said to be a hard-nosed defender with a high potential on both sides of the floor. News out of Lexington was that Burks looked to be one of the best during UK’s “Pro Day.” Welcome, Jordan! HOYA SAXA!

From Kentucky:

2023-24 (FRESHMAN)

Appeared in 20 games in his freshman season … Averaged 1.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and shot 60% from the floor … Scored a career-high 13 points in the win at Vanderbilt … Was perfect from the field with a 6-for-6 day against the Commodores … Also contributed five rebounds in that game … Snared an offensive board in two minutes of action at home vs. Florida … Scored five points and added a pair of blocks in the win over Illinois State … Logged five points and an assist in nine minutes vs. No. 10 Miami … Had five boards, a block and a steal in 14 minutes vs. Marshall … Pulled down four boards while handing out two assists as UK was plus-19 with him on the floor against No. 1 Kansas … Chipped in with seven points, three rebounds and a steal in 12 minutes off the bench in the win over New Mexico State.

HIGH SCHOOL

An explosive scorer at Overtime Elite and led the league with 27.1 points per game in 2022-23 … Also contributed 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game … Scored 20 or more points in all but one game and had a season-high of 42 against OTE competition … Suited up for Hillcrest Prep with Overtime Elite and connected on 46.7% of his field-goal attempts, 26.7% from 3-point range and 67% from the charity stripe … Began his high school career at Heritage Christian in his hometown and also suited up for Southern California Academy (California) before his move to OTE … A consensus three-star prospect.

PERSONAL

Born Aug. 11 … Mother is Vicki Burks … Lists his most memorable moment as a basketball player as scoring 40 or more in three straight games … His most prized possession is his Bible … His mom is his life’s greatest influence … Favorite food is wings (flats) … Favorite TV show is Ghost … Has to listen to music before he plays … Dunked for the first time in eighth grade … Anthony Davis is his favorite former Wildcat … Chose Kentucky over Ole Miss, Oregon State and Georgia Tech.

Here are some links:

Kentucky Transfer Jordan Burks Commits to Georgetown | Athlon Sports

Burks didn’t play many significant minutes last season for Kentucky, and it seems like he wants a more significant role elsewhere. In his time at Kentucky, the forward averaged 1.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists, while playing only 7 minutes per game. He provided a good spark off the bench for the Wildcats, but will have a much more expanded role at Georgetown. His best game at Kentucky was against Vanderbilt, where he had 13 points and 5 rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

A former four-star recruit, Burks came from Overtime Elite playing for Hillcrest Prep before beginning his college career in Lexington playing for Kentucky. Now, Burks will look for a bigger role after developing at Kentucky as he heads to Georgetown to play for Ed Cooley.

Kentucky basketball’s Jordan Burks reportedly enters transfer portal | The Courier-Journal

Per the 247Sports Composite ratings, Burks was a three-star recruit. He became only the fourth UK player — Dominique Hawkins, Thiero and Derek Willis were the others — with a three-star composite rating to sign with the program during Calipari’s tenure, which began with the 2009-10 season. (Kentucky later added a second three-star composite recruit to its 2023 class in Hart.) While he didn’t boast as many stars as some of the Wildcats’ other incoming freshmen, Burks brought plenty of potential to the table.

Prior to arriving in Lexington, Burks competed at Overtime Elite (a professional league for players ages 16 to 20, based in Atlanta) during the 2022-23 season. He won the scoring title in both the regular season and playoffs. Burks averaged 27.1 points per game in the regular season — nearly seven points per game more than the next-closest player. Burks then averaged 23 points in the OTE playoffs.

That play carried over to Kentucky’s preseason pro day event at Rupp Arena on Oct. 11, when Burks was one of the event’s most impressive performers.

Kentucky transfer Jordan Burks commits to Georgetown | 247Sports

Kentucky guard/forward transfer Jordan Burks committed to Georgetown Wednesday as he will not follow head coach John Calipari to Arkansas.

Burks, who was Overtime Elite’s leading scorer during the 2022-23 season, was originally committed to Ole Miss but de-committed following the firing of head coach Kermit Davis. The three-star recruit eventually signed with Kentucky in June of 2023.

With Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso suffering foot fractures over the offseason, the 6-foot-8 Burks was moved to center for UK’s four-game Globl Jam slate in Toronto and to open the regular season.

Jordan Burks commits to Georgetown Hoyas after leaving Kentucky | A Sea Of Blue

The 6-foot-8, 202-pound Burks joined Kentucky as a 4-star recruit last season after playing for Hillcrest Prep in the Overtime Elite league. In 20 games, he averaged 1.9 points (60% shooting) and 1.7 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game, highlighted by a 13-point effort on 6/6 shooting in a road win at Vanderbilt.

Burks was always viewed as a developmental guy, but he certainly showed flashes of becoming a solid bench contributor by Year 2. Now, he’ll hopefully get to play a bigger role with the rebuilding Hoyas, who are entering Year 2 of the Ed Cooley era.

Jordan Burks enters transfer portal: Kentucky Wildcats Basketball | A Sea Of Blue

Burks joined Kentucky as a 4-star recruit last season after playing for Hillcrest Prep in the Overtime Elite league. In 20 appearances, he finished his lone season in Lexington averaging 1.9 points (60% shooting) and 1.7 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game.

Burks certainly flashed potential, including his 13-point effort on 6/6 shooting in the road win at Vanderbilt, but he was buried on the bench for most of the season. He was viewed as a long-term developmental piece that was likely to return had John Calipari not left for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Alas, the rebuild continues for new head coach Mark Pope, who does not have a transfer or returning player committed for next season.

3 things we learned at pro day | The Courier-Journal

If someone had to pick which Wildcat had the best pro day, Jordan Burks would be the safest bet. Which runs counter to what most would have predicted. Part of Kentucky’s eight-member freshman class, Burks is a rarity in the Calipari era: a three-star signee.

Yet at every turn Wednesday, he turned heads.

Among his many highlights: an offensive rebound and putback for a dunk during 3-on-3 matchups; another dunk (off an assist from fellow freshman Reed Sheppard) in 3-on-3 drills; a slam (off a lob from another freshman guard, DJ Wagner) during a 5-on-5 session; an assist to freshman wing Justin Edwards, who threw down a dunk of his own; and during shooting drills, Burks showed off his form, knocking down his share of 3-pointers.

Observations from Kentucky’s 2023 Pro Day | 247Sports

Freshman forward Jordan Burks, who was only a three-star prospect, put together an impressive show in front of the scouts in attendance.

Among his notable moments were an offensive rebound and putback dunk in 3-on-3s, an assist to Justin Edwards for a dunk, a dunk on a lob from Reed Sheppard in 3-on-3s and a dunk on a lob from DJ Wagner in 5-on-5s.

In Toronto at Globl Jam, Burks averaged 4.3 points per game and 2.3 rebounds, averaging 17.6 minutes of playing time. With Bradshaw and Onyenso out, Burks could find time playing in Kentucky’s frontcourt early on which could lead to a full-time role.

KY Insider’s Notes/Observations from Kentucky MBB Pro Day | KY Insider

When the warmups came to a close and the real festivities began, Jordan Burks was the one who (arguably) shined the brightest in the 4v4 scrimmages. It seemed like Burks’ inside presence was overwhelming at times. There were multiple occasions on offense where Burks would fly high for an alley-oop finish or a dunk. It was really nice to see him finding his groove and asserting himself on the floor.

Jordan Burks made the most of his surprise minutes against Vanderbilt | On3

In the Wildcat’s 109-77 victory over Vanderbilt, the freshman Burks had his best performance yet. The 6-foot-8 guard/wing/forward — whatever you want to call him — made the most of his unexpected playing time. He finished with a career-high 13 points on a perfect 6-6 shooting from the field, even knocking down just his second triple of the season, to go along with five rebounds…

“How about Jordan?” John Calipari said following the win. “I keep telling everybody about Jordan and look at him. And how about he waited his turn?”

Burks certainly did wait for his turn. Had it not been for some injuries to teammates ahead of him, it might not have ever come. Burks had only appeared in five SEC games prior to Vandy, clocking a grand total of five combined minutes.