By: Nolan Alexander
Terrell Burden calls it "full circle." To take a note from the Kennesaw State men's basketball team, we should listen to the point guard.
The Owls were fresh off their first ASUN regular season championship and hosted only their second ASUN Tournament game ever. Tied with Queens and only 3:30 remaining in the quarterfinals, KSU broke away for a 66-61 advantage with only 58 seconds lingering. Burden had four opportunities at the free throw line to put the Royals away.
He missed them all.
Thankfully, KSU held on for a 67-66 win.
Fast forward to the moment Burden cemented his legacy as a rafter master. Less than a second remaining. Tied at 66 with the preseason darling Liberty. He's back at the same free throw line where the Tuesday troubles teased the result.
This time, the moment would be his. Poetic, storybook, serendipitous, providential … take your pick of words. The senior from nearby Campbell High School in Smyrna delivered the biggest free throw in KSU's history.
The Owls went up 67-66. The sea of silence as he spun the basketball, only pierced by a small smattering of Flames fans behind his right shoulder erupted into sheer jubilation. He intentionally missed the second to prevent a March miracle and the rest will be told for generations to come. Same score as the quarterfinal game, but a titanic difference of feeling.
A perfect embodiment of what may be the greatest turnarounds from a one-win team his first year to March-Madness bound three seasons after. From the smallest level of success to nationwide notoriety.
This story though is about the middle. How did Burden go from 0-4 to ice in his veins?
It started with the fact that he wouldn't leave. With lifelong friends by his side, he stayed two hours after the quarterfinal victory shooting free throws at that same rim that tortured him.
"My free throws were off lately, and I knew that I'd be in a position again. Whether it is late game or just in general where I get fouled and go to the line, and I want to convert," said Burden. "I didn't want that to happen again."
Then he was joined by his head coach,
Amir Abdur-Rahim.
"After about two hours coach Amir kicked me out and told me to go home. He told me I was overthinking it and to just breathe. I work on it 1,000 times, and that won't happen again," said Burden.
"I just talked to him about trusting himself when he went up there. Terrell is a guy that works hard, especially on free throws," said Abdur-Rahim, the ASUN Coach of the Year. "It's more about you remembering your routine, and focusing on your routine, than it is if you're going to make or miss the shot. I think that sometimes you get up there at the free throw line, and it's just you by yourself, you start thinking of the result instead of the process.
"And so even as he was in here shooting after that Queens game, I said 'Don't focus on the make or miss, focus on what gets you to that result.' Whenever he gets up there, and he takes his time, goes through his routine, and takes his deep breath, he's always going to make it."
Burden focused on his routine, with his Trae Young 1 sneakers, speckled with splashes of blue, black, peach, and gold, stepping to the free throw line. Right foot on the nail in the center, while keeping the ball rolling. One deep breath. Exhale. Spin and dribble one more time. Release.
It's a routine that had been crafted throughout the year. He and his teammates accounted for over 95,000 free throws during the summer and preseason months.
"I've said this a number of times, but it is no different than golf. You can put or chip or drive a ball a million times. Shank one, pull one, lip a putt, and it becomes mental. I think that was the difference between Terrell against Queens compared to after that, " said Abdur-Rahim. "He was sharp mentally. He was tougher mentally after that Queens game and he wasn't going allow himself to let his teammates down."
It wasn't the last time the two discussed free throws.
After the 5'10", 170-pound Burden drew an Isaiah Warfield foul with 0.7 seconds remaining in the ASUN Championship game, he didn't go to the same free throw line alone. Just like that Tuesday, he took in support from his team and coach.
"We did a little quick huddle, and my teammates told me they had my back before I even stepped to the line. They told me to take a deep breath and reassured me that everything's going be okay, and that they have my back and they'll stick with me regardless," recounted Burden. "When I heard that I told them that I'm perfectly fine. I don't need to overthink it. I'm going step up here and I'm going to make it. I got y'all."
"I just told him that I loved him. He was my favorite player. Knock it in. That's all I did, and he did what he does. It was great," said Abdur-Rahim.
Terrell Burden. From no Division 1 offers to just one from Kennesaw State. The same
Terrell Burden - from a one-win team to being named ASUN Tournament MVP.
"It was everything that I dreamed of. When you're the underdog it makes the story even better. Going into that game. I don't think we were favorites to win at all,' said Burden. "Being that that I could do it right there at home in the way that I practiced for and hit the game-winning free throw all hit me after that. We really accomplished this. We just wanted to compete as a team, and we'll let the chips fall where they may but being that they fell in our favor … it was crazy."
"It means a lot, not only to myself, but I think it means a lot to Terrell too. Him having been a part of that one-win season to be the guy that closed it out. His teammates have relied on him all year, not just for his ability to score the ball, but his leadership," said Abdur-Rahim. "He's been there with and for them every step of the way. It's hard to win the regular season and the conference tournament, and to be able to go wire to wire the way we did is a testament to those guys' perseverance and resolve."
Similar to how Burden received advice from his coach and teammates, he offers his own to the person who may make the next rags to riches story.
"Keep the main thing the main thing because a lot of people may get discouraged if they don't have any D1 offers, or they don't play at the level they want to play at. I feel like God puts you exactly where you need to be when you need to be there," said Burden. "It was a blessing in disguise to have Kennesaw State as my only Division 1 offer. Talking about it with my mom (Shandria), I kind of knew that something special could happen here because I feel like God doesn't put anything on you that you can't handle. I feel like if you keep your head down and keep working, everything will fall in place for you."
Sounds routine, doesn't it?
