The Michigan men’s basketball program announced Friday that they will be honoring the career of former guard and 2013 consensus National Player of the Year Trey Burke on Jan. 23, raising his No. 3 jersey into the rafters the night of the Wolverines’ game against Ohio State.
Burke, who grew up in Columbus, played two seasons in his time with Michigan from 2011-2013, starting in all 73 games he played in while averaging 16.9 points, 5.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds. The Wolverines made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in Burke’s two seasons with the team, including the 2013 run to the National Championship, during which Burke sank one of the most iconic shots in Michigan basketball history; a buzzer-beating 30-foot 3-pointer to advance past top-ranked Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen.
Burke earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors averaging 14.8 points and breaking the school’s freshman assists record before having himself a historic sophomore season in which he was named National Player of the Year, the first Wolverine to do so. That season he averaged 18.6 points and 6.7 assists, setting the school record with 260 assists while leading the program to its first Final Four appearance in 20 years. On top of sweeping the votes for player of the year, Burke’s performance earned him the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Bob Cousy Award and First Team All-American honors as well.
Burke declared for the draft after the 2012-13 season ended, where he was selected ninth overall by the Utah Jazz, beginning a career in the NBA that spanned 10 seasons with the Jazz, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers.
Burke becomes just the sixth Michigan player to earn the honor of having their jersey hoisted to the top of Crisler Center, joining the likes of Cazzie Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich, Phil Hubbard, Glen Rice and Bill Buntin.
Burke was pivotal in raising the Wolverine basketball program back to national prominence, and now it’s Michigan’s turn to do the lifting.
