Nebrasketball Player Profile: Dachon Burke Jr.

Dachon Burke Jr. comes to Lincoln via Robert Morris. He sat out last season but practiced with the squad. He is one of the two players coming back to play for coach Hoiberg. The other would be Thorir Thorbjarnarson. So, that means he likes Hoiberg enough to stay and that he is good enough to play in Fred’s system.

I think the latter of the two is the most important right now.

Not that liking Nebraska isn’t important. Many players like Nebraska, but many of them were asked to leave. The fact that he has the talent and experience to stay will go along ways for Dachon and Fred. What little continuity this team has will be important. You wouldn’t think that just knowing the facility, support staff, and town would be important but it can be. Everyone but he and Thorir is adapting to everything this year. A couple of guys who are at least comfortable with their surroundings will go far for the team.

Dachon is happy, and so is Hoiberg.

Actually, he has somewhat of a connection to this current staff. Nebraska assistant Matt Abdelmassih reached out to him when Matt was at St. John’s and Dachon announced his departure from Robert Morris. So of course they connected when Matt joined Fred’s staff this past spring in Lincoln.

The 6’4” guard played in every game his freshman and sophomore season at Robert Morris. His final season which was two years ago now he averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. All while shooting 45.9% from the floor. He left the school making second team all Northeast Conference.

He’s not only known for his scoring, but also his ability to be a problem on defense. His 2.5 steals per game lead the Northeast Conference two years ago. Not to bad for a sophomore on any level. The Big Ten is a bit more athletic and the size difference between it and the Northeast Conference where Robert Morris plays will be noticeable. Hopefully that past year has prepared him for a major conference.

Dachon is in the same boat as everyone else on the team this year. They all have a new coaching staff, new offense, and almost an entirely new set of teammates. I would expect to see him play early if not start on Hoibergs squad. He’s not the biggest player but his experience and year in Lincoln could very well give him a leg up on game time.

Will he be an all Big Ten caliber player this year? Probably not, but I believe that Dachon will be one of the main leaders on this team as the season goes along. He may not always lead the stats sheet but will play an important role on and off the court.