He elevated his game

Three years ago, he was a gangly youngster, not quite 6 feet tall.

With the goggles on his face and boundless energy, there was no telling what the future held for young Josh Burnett.

This year, as a 6-foot-4 senior with boundless energy — sans goggles — the Maryknoll swingman was positively electric. Burnett poured in nearly 23 points per game, grabbing eight boards a night while sparking a tough-nosed Spartans defense. The Spartans fell in the state semifinals, but coaches and media accounted for Burnett in a big way, voting him the Star-Advertiser Boys Basketball All-State Player of the Year.

Burnett was a low-post shooter entering high school. The Kapolei resident entered Maryknoll’s program and began to flourish. Continuous offseason training was the key as he expanded his range — he swished a 25-foot 3-point shot to force overtime in a wild preseason battle with Farrington — but continued to attack the rim with a controlled fury.

He connected on 39 treys this season and converted 71 percent of his foul shots. He was a sneaky shot blocker and was one of the few defenders statewide who could cover any position.

"It’s been tremendous," Spartans coach Kelly Grant said. "Watching him grow from his sophomore year all the way to senior year, I remember constantly having to yell at him and scold him, but as a senior, I can be more of a spectator. He was a leader by example.

"He’s transitioned to a 2-guard, the small forward, being able to attack the basket, being able to shoot 3-point shots," Grant said. "We do a lot of shooting at practice, but he worked on his jump shot in the offseason. He put on muscle and got a lot stronger. Sophomore year, he struggled going to the basket, but this year, he attacked and finished. He had some monstrous dunks."

The future is bright. Six colleges, including Arizona State and Arkansas-Little Rock, have maintained contact and have offered varying degrees of financial aid.

Among the latest is the University of Buffalo, a D-I mid-major coached by former Duke All-America guard Bobby Hurley.

"We’re going to definitely miss him. Him being long and athletic. Him being able to put fear into other coaches on how to defend him, we’re going to miss all that," Grant said. "I’ve never coached a kid this talented, ever. "

Burnett hasn’t quite shaken off Maryknoll’s finish.

"I think we had a good season. It’s not what we wanted. We thought we could win states this year," he said, noting that with age has come maturity.

"I’m much more confident in myself. I’ve got a much better attitude toward the game. A lot of coaches talked to me about my attitude. Bad calls, I would lose it sometimes. That’s one thing that Coach Grant taught me. Clap my hands and move on. That’s pretty much what I did this season. I didn’t react so much to calls and I stayed focused."

Coach of the year honors went to Dean Shimamoto, who led ‘Iolani to a second state crown on his watch. Allan Silva (Farrington) and Wyatt Tau (Campbell) were second and third in the voting.

STAR-ADVERTISER’S Fab 15

Player of the Year: Josh Burnett, Maryknoll
Coach of the Year: Dean Shimamoto, ‘Iolani

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