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| Dean Burrows, left, and All-American Brian Cameron have brought NCAA Tournament excitement to a Wesley campus which sorely needs some. Wesley athletics photo |
By Ryan Scott
D3sports.com
DOVER, Delaware – “If that man is alive, he will be coaching.”
You almost have to laugh at Wesley assistant Michael Fabber’s comment about head coach Dean Burrows after the Wolverines won the Atlantic East Conference championship and all but sewed up the Pool B bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Burrows can laugh, too, but not without a knowing smile.
In May 2018 he suffered acute pancreatitis and was given just a 20% chance of surviving. He spent much of that offseason in the hospital and found himself there again last week while his team was fighting tooth and nail to give him more games to coach.
“I’ve kept my stuff to myself,” says Burrows. “I wanted the focus to be on my guys, my team.”
I wasn’t even aware of Burrows absence until I sat down in the gym on Saturday. He was represented, though. Burrows’ son, Trey, assumed his typical spot on the bench, walked out the game ball, and ultimately got to cut down his father’s portion of the net.
“We always say it’s a family,” Burrows said. “Last year, after a month in the hospital, I just decided if he wants to be [on the bench], let him be there. My kids are always around and they have a bunch of older brothers who take care of them.”
Those brothers include five seniors and nine players who were new to the team this season. None of them had experienced a winning season at Wesley and this one didn’t start too promisingly, with a 3-6 record in November.
“I’m so proud of this group,” says senior All-American, Brian Cameron. “Everybody had to figure out their roles, but once conference season started, we got on a roll.”
Part of the adjustment is playing with Cameron, one of the most physically gifted players in the country. He’s scored more than 2,300 points in his career and also averaging eight rebounds and four assists per game this season.
“A lot of guys are used to having the ball in their hands more often,” says Burrows. “Some think they can do what Brian can do, but you have to earn that trust through hard work and sacrifice.”
Sacrifice they have. Cameron’s assist totals are up this season and Burrows notes his greatest improvement has been in making the right pass and trusting his teammates. Derek Charles, a senior, has accepted the role of sixth man without complaint. Greg Bloodsworth, a transfer, has learned to contribute without the ball in his hands as often.
Any number of players are continuing despite aches and injuries because of this singular vision to showcase their abilities on a national stage. Wesley travels to D3hoops.com No. 3 Randolph-Macon on Friday. A win is a big ask, but, as Cameron says: “We’re ready. We’ve been underdogs all season.”
Cameron presents a unique challenge as the best individual opponent the Yellowjackets have faced all season. He’s not a flashy scorer; the 30- and 40-point games can sneak up on you. He’s also a draw for defenders. Wesley stayed close in the first half of the championship game against Gwynedd Mercy because Cameron was finding open teammates while his own shot wasn’t falling. He also managed to find a way to score 22 second-half points without disrupting the flow of the game.
Wesley also has unusual size this year. “Big guys for us means 6-5, 6-6,” says Burrows. “But we’re physical and tough. They are workhorses and our coaches have done a great job with them.” Randolph-Macon is a physical team, but Wesley believes they have the size and depth to go toe to toe if need be.
They also have familiarity with RMC coach, Josh Merkel, who previously coached at Salisbury, an old Wesley opponent from their time in the Capital Athletic Conference together. “We know what they like to do,” says Burrows, “We’ll work hard to compete. You only have to be one point better.”
Burrows was released from the hospital Tuesday and surprised the team during a video session that afternoon. He plans to coach in the tournament on Friday – because he is very much still alive.
Along for the ride is Wesley women’s basketball coach, James Wearden, who stepped in for the conference tournament. “These four assistants are great men,” says Wearden. “They knew the game plan and coached the team; I was just a pretty face.”
Wearden’s presence allowed the team to maintain a sense of normalcy without Burrows around. “I wanted everything to be the same,” said Burrows. “Jim knows the administrative stuff, travel and expenses, and things like that. Any of my assistants could’ve stepped in and been head coach, but I wanted what they do to be exactly the same, to keep things as normal as possible for the kids.”
What’s not normal for Wesley men’s basketball is the NCAA Tournament. This is a big deal on campus and in Delaware, where there are just five college athletic programs in the entire state.
All season there have been rumors it would be four.
Wesley, like many similar small schools, has struggled financially in recent years, requiring money from the state to keep the doors open. However, news came out this week that initial agreements towards a merger have been signed and Wesley’s future is once again bright.
“We continue to make positive progress and we’re very optimistic,” says Wesley president, Robert E. Clark. “At the end of the day we will be who we are. Same name, same colors, same commitment to changing lives. Right now we’re one team, one family, and one future heading into the NCAA Tournament.”
You can’t keep Wesley down. You can’t keep Dean Burrows down. You can’t keep Wolverine basketball down. They’ve overcome a lot this season and they’re ready to roll. This particular first round upset might be a tall order, but this team is all about coming back when they’ve been written off and they’ve seen one of their own beat the odds.
Adds Cameron, “We’ve been working for this all season. It’s too bad Coach Dean missed out on [the conference tournament], but we won it for him, so we can all be together next weekend.”