Waking the Giant : Woodbridge’s Burgess Shoots a Donkey Off His Back

The clothesline tackle put Donkey Boy on the foul line.

Now there are many things that Woodbridge’s Chris Burgess does well. He’s a 6-foot-9 sophomore, with a velvet touch. There are few things he can’t do.

Such as shoot free throws. Every jewel has a flaw.

So there was Burgess, a 54% free-throw shooter, lying on the floor after being slammed to the ground by an Agoura player in Friday’s Southern Section Division II-AA playoff game.

When order resumed, the Warriors, trailing by two with 56 seconds left, had Burgess--a.k.a. Donkey Boy--going to the line.

“We’d have free-throw shooting contests this summer and the loser would have to run around the gym carrying this ceramic donkey over his head,” Woodbridge Coach John Halagan said. “My most vivid memory was this 6-9 kid with that donkey. Chris had that thing so much, he built a corral for it at home.”

But Friday, Burgess--after taking a couple of minutes to regain his senses--stepped to the line and hit two free throws. Then, he hit a jump hook. He blocked a shot. He hit two more free throws.

And Woodbridge won, 72-67, advancing to tonight’s quarterfinal game against Mission Viejo. Yes, there is nothing this kid can’t seem to do.

This sleeping giant came to life this season after transferring from Mater Dei. He has shown abilities which have already whet the appetite of college coaches. But his finest moment might have come after being clobbered Friday.

“He’d just got the tar knocked out of him,” Halagan said. “It was a cheap shot and Chris knew it. But he let it go. He got off the deck and nailed two free throws. He’s incredible.”

Adjectives are going to get harder to find to describe Burgess. And comparisons have already begun.

People bring up former Woodbridge standout Adam Keefe, now with the Utah Jazz. Former Marina standout Cherokee Parks also has been mentioned. He’s now a senior at Duke, which already has been in contact with Burgess.

UCLA coach Jim Harrick has come to a Warrior practice. Other coaches, including ones from Syracuse and BYU, have dropped by.

“Around school, I’ll hear people say stuff like, ‘There’s that one guy,’ ” Burgess said. “A lot people compare me to Adam Keefe. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m getting used to it.”

He’d better. Keefe’s jersey hangs on the wall in the Woodbridge gym.

Burgess is averaging 22.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and has 86 blocked shots. He had 36 points, 17 rebounds and six blocked shots against Agoura.

But what most impresses people, especially college coaches waiting for his senior year to roll around, is his mobility and shooting range.

Burgess has made 38% of his three-pointers and has 34 steals. He was three for seven from three-point range against Agoura and has made seven in two playoff games.

“He hit one against Agoura that people are still buzzing about,” Halagan said. “He was three strides behind the three-point line and went up. It seemed like he’d just crossed midcourt. I had a sub ready to go in for him so I could tell not to do that again. . . .

“This guy is something special.”

Except at the foul line.

The ceramic donkey first arrived during the summer and pretty much became Burgess’ constant companion.

“I think we were even feeding it,” said Ken Burgess, his father. “That thing was huge. Carry it, you knew you had a burden.”

It disappeared before the season started. Chris Burgess remains under suspicion. If he’s guilty, frustration would be his defense.

“Chris is the type of kid who works at things until he gets them right,” Ken Burgess said. “The first time he played was in the fourth grade and that first game was a disaster. But he spent the rest of the week working and had all his team’s points the next game.”

That work ethic showed this season, as Burgess has caught many by surprise. They remember him as the big freshman who played on the Mater Dei varsity a season ago.

He was one of five freshmen who were quickly dubbed the Fab Five.

But things got a little crowded when freshman Schea Cotton arrived. Suddenly it was the Fab One and the five pips. Burgess, who had been reluctant to attend Mater Dei in the first place, decided to transfer.

“I had fun playing there,” Burgess said. “But once the season ended, everything went downhill. I didn’t really know anyone there because I had come up through public schools.”

He also saw his role had changed.

“Coach (Gary) McKnight told me I was going to be the top player on the team when I was a junior,” Burgess said. “I was getting 10-15 minutes a game as a freshman, then Schea transferred in. The minutes went slowly down. I was going to be in the shadow of Schea.”

Halagan was summoned from class last April and told to report to the activities office. He walked in and saw Burgess and his father.

Burgess had grown up in Irvine and his sister, Angela, is a standout on the Warrior girls’ team. So Halagan knew the name. He then got to see the player.

“First day of practice, Chris comes down the wing, pulls up and hits a three-pointer,” Halagan said. “I had to cover up because my assistant was poking me in the ribs with his elbow.”

People really took notice after Burgess had a 31-point, 16-rebound game against Tustin, Orange County’s second-ranked team. The Warriors chased the Tillers to the finish, losing 68-65.

“We were supposed to get killed,” Burgess said. “People around school were even asking, ‘So how by much are they going to beat you?’ After that game, my confidence shot way up.”

And hasn’t come down.

“Maybe someday my jersey will be hanging on the gym wall,” Burgess said.