Men’s basketball signs a pair of talented guards

By Xavier Holloway/Staff Writer

Freshly hired men’s basketball head coach, Jeremy Ballard, has aggressively started his FIU tenure by signing a pair of talented transfers this offseason. Both transfers are shooting guards, 6-foot-3 guard Marcus Burwell from Virginia, and 6-foot-1 guard Cameron Corcoran from Little Rock University.

Marcus Burwell, a standout from Northeastern Junior College, signed on May 22 to become the first player signing of Ballard’s FIU tenure.

“We are beyond excited to have Marcus Burwell join the Panther family as the first member of our recruiting class,” said Ballard. “Marcus embodies everything that we are looking for in a Panther: athleticism, versatility, competitiveness, and a high skill level. He has been well coached at both the JUCO and high school levels, which combined with his work ethic and talent will allow him to have an immediate impact on our program.”

After examining Marcus Burwell’s JUCO highlight tape, it’s apparent how much talent the 6-foot-3 guard from Richmond, Virginia possesses. Burwell is a pull-up 3-point specialist, with a remarkably quick first step, as well as a gifted ball handler.

Coming off a rough couple of seasons, where the Panther’s men basketball team failed to reach even the .500 mark in wins, Burwell will almost immediately help change that narrative this upcoming season.

Last year in Northeastern Junior College, Burwell led his team in scoring, shot 50 percent overall from the field and almost 40 percent behind the three. He is what some analysts and coaches would call: a pure scorer.

In the 29 games he played, he managed to record two 34 point games which ended up being his career-high. Along with those stellar scoring performances, Burwell also had eleven games where he scored 25 or more points. His playmaking ability and knack for scoring will undoubtedly help Panther Basketball stay competitive within Conference USA.

With the Panthers’ leading scorer Eric Lockett no longer on the squad due to his transfer to North Carolina State, Burwell could potentially become the team’s next top scorer in the upcoming 2018-19 season.

The Panther’s will get more help at the guard position from another talented signing. Coach Ballard announced on June 3rd the signing of Cameron Corcoran. A 6-foot-1 guard from Orlando.

“We are thrilled with the addition of Cameron Corcoran to the Panther family,” said Ballard. “He is an outstanding young man whose character will help enhance our culture. Cam’s multi-dimensional skill set as a lead guard is the perfect fit for our style of play. He will be an impact player by aggressively attacking the development of his skills, game, and body during his redshirt year.”

Due to NCAA transfer rules, Corcoran will have to sit out the upcoming 2018-2019 season. However, this unfortunate obstacle will grant him an entire year to adequately develop his on-court skills, potentially making him a better player for 2019-2020 season.

Cameron Corcoran played in all 31 games for the Little Rock Trojans last season, averaging 6.7 points per game, 0.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in 16.6 minutes per game.

In high school, Corcoran played at Orlando Christian Prep, where in his senior season he averaged 13.6 points and 2.6 assists per game. He helped his team reach the semifinal playoff game in which he scored 12 points. Cameron’s efforts earned him an Honorable Mention All-Area by the Orlando Sentinel after his senior season.

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