Narrows’ Burton has basketball in his DNA

NARROWS, Va. — Sports is in the DNA of Chandler Burton.

His father, Mike, played basketball at Radford while his mother Erin played volleyball at Concord. His sister Savanna is a senior standout at Narrows on the volleyball and basketball courts. As were his cousins.

“At dinner its all focused on sports,” Chandler said.

It’s no surprise Burton has followed in their footsteps while playing for the Green Wave.

Burton, who is just a sophomore, led Narrows to a 2-1 mark last week while scoring 58 points and finishing with close to a double-double each night. For his efforts, Burton earned Pocahontas Coal Association/Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week honors.

“Chandler is a great shooter,” Narrows head coach Chris Gautier said. “We’ve been discussing with him how to be a multi-threat player. Trying to go to the basket and draw some fouls.

“We want him to be more than one deminsional and he did that well last week. He played really well.”

On the season, the Green Wave are 7-12, but Burton has left it all on the court each night. He’s averaging close to 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.

“I’ve got to the place where I know I can rebound,” Burton said. “I can out rebound some of the teams we play.”

With several key pieces lost from last year’s team, Burton has been asked to carry the load and lead the team despite being an underclassmen. It’s a role he enjoys though.

“It’s different,” Burton said. “Our team is pretty smart on the floor so that helps, but I like the responsiblity.”

Gautier added, “Our offense is built a lot around him, because of the threat he can be. Our offense does run through him and there are up’s and down’s because of that. Most opponents target him and he’s constantly under presssure. He handles it well.

“We’re trying to help him cope with some frustrations. I think everyone understands that we’re going through him and they try to find him when he’s open especially when he’s hot.”

Burton did that several times last week when he scored 16 points and 22 points in two games against Montcalm. He added 20 points against a tough Bland County team to close out the week.

“It’s pretty difficult to get any good looks,” Burton said. “Most of the teams we play run a box-and-one defense. It’s pretty hard to get open, but you can create shots for other players.”

Thankfully Burton has help when dealing with the pressures of being the team’s go-to-player. Savanna is the same for the Lady Wave and his cousin Sydney Lindsey went through that while at Narrows and Concord.

“Its pretty nice [to have them to help],” Chandlers said. “Savanna plays with me during the summer and Sid does the same when she’s off work. And they always give me tips to help me improve my game.”

His biggest supporter though may be his dad who Chandler says plays basketball with him regularly.

“My dad plays with me every day,” Burton added. “He got me focused on basketball and I’ve liked it ever since I was little. I’ve just got to the point where I love the game.”

Burton’s love for basketball has led him to focus solely on the sport including playing AAU basketball with a team from Christiansburg.

“He’s spends pretty much 365 days playing ball,” Gautier added. “He’s developed into on of the premier players in the district.”

That’s been no small feat as the Mountain Empire District boasts some of the tops in the region with Galax, Grayson County, Fort Chiswell and Bland County.

“I think he understands the game well,” Gautier said. “There are still areas where we’re constantly working with him. Coming in as sophomore, he’s grown into a more rounded players. He was a shooter and went under the radar last season until the end.”

Burton has changed his game through hard work in the off season from learning to drive to the basket to working on perfecting his shot. So far, it’s all paid off.

“He’s a really good kid,” Gautier said. “He’s great to work with. He works hard at practice. There is no doubt he’ll continue to work. I expect better things out of him next year and his senior year.”

So does Burton and the rest of the Green Wave. But the youngster knows he can’t do it alone.

“My teammates help me out tremoundously,” Burton said. “The coaches have worked with us a lot. I’d like to thank my teammates and my coaches for helping me get to this point.”

— Contact Jonathan Greene

at jgreene@bdtonline.com

HONORABLE MENTION BOYS

for Jan. 23-28

Ballard Christian (1-0): Josh Deskins, 23 points, 12 boards, 2 blocks; John Stenzel, 17 points; D.J. Deskins, 13 points, 6 assists.

Bland County (1-0): Asher Dillow, 32 points vs. Narrows; Darryl Clark, 23 points.

Bluefield (2-0): Michael Yost, 33 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals; Anthony Eades, 42 points.

Council (1-1): Cameron Presley, 23 points, 8 rebounds; Josh Viers, 16 points.

Graham (0-2): Lamont Edwards, 16 points; Tony Hood, 16 points.

Grundy (1-1): Ben Rife, 41 points; Tyler Stacy, 21 points in win over Clintwood.

Haysi (0-1): Tyler Tipton, 10 points; Peyton O’Quinn, 10 points.

Honaker (0-1): Jeremaih Dye, 15 points.

Hurley (3-0): Austin Cooper, 52 points, 16 assists, 15 rebounds, 13 steals; Dustin Waynick, 53 points; Tyler Cooper, 44 points.

James Monroe (1-0): Wes Jones, 15 points; Zach Hatfield, 13 points; Mark Dixon, 13 points.

Mercer Christian (0-1): James Beckner, 17 points; Caleb Janning, 17 points; Jonathan Easter, 11 points.

Montcalm (0-3): Matt Pennington, 25 points; Michael Blackwell, 13 points vs. Narrows.

Mount View (0-1): Ismyle Sawyers, 15 points; Antoine Calloway, 12 points; Teddy Hazzard, 11 points; Maurice Brown, 11 points.

Narrows (2-1): Allen Oney, 12 points in win over Montcalm.

PikeView (0-2): David Keen, 31 points; Will Webster, 36 points.

Pipestem Christian (3-0): Austin Peyton, 57 points; Aleks Lane, 55 points, 30 rebounds.

Princeton (1-1): Kyle Caron, 27 points; Ryan Meadows, 19 points.

Richlands (1-1): Devon Johnson, 60 points including 40 points, 23 boards in win over Abingdon; Gabe Hunsaker, 36 points; Ben Brown, 19 points.

River View (0-2): LeShon Benton, 36 points.

Summers County (1-1): Josh Graham, 32 points, 21 rebounds; T.J. Smith, 47 points including 27 points, 7 rebounds in win over Covington; Scott Hannah, 31 points.

Tazewell (3-0): Noah Walker, 28 points, 16 rebounds, 9 blocks in two games; Christian Lewis, 35 points; John Walker, 42 points, 19 rebounds; Ryan Hankins, 16 points, 25 rebounds; Blake Hash, 11 points including game winner vs. Marion.

Twin Valley (1-0): Shannon Adams, 26 points; Daniel Hobbs, 18 points.

Wyoming East (2-0): Taylor Smith, 42 points; Austin Canada, 19 points; Josh Tunstall, 17 points vs. Shady Spring; Luke Campbell, 16 points vs. PikeView.

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