Scott David Burrell (born January 12, 1971) is an American basketball coach and former player who is currently the men's basketball head coach at Southern Connecticut State University. He has played internationally and was also a professional baseball player. In 1990, Burrell was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB. He played in Minor League Baseball during the 1990 and 1991 seasons. After ending his baseball career, he was drafted in 1993 by the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

of the NBA. He was later traded to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

and then the Chicago Bulls, where he won a championship ring. He next played with the New Jersey Nets and then finished his NBA career with the Hornets in 2000–01. He played in other professional basketball leagues through the 2005–06 season.

Early life

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Burrell was raised in nearby Hamden and attended

Hamden High School Hamden High School is a four-year high school for grades 9 through 12. It is located at 2040 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, Connecticut. It is part of the Hamden Public School System and is the only public high school within the town of Hamden. The sch ...

. At Hamden High, in addition to basketball, Burrell was a quarterback on the football team and pitcher on the baseball team. Burrell was named to the

ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Second Team The ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Baseball Team has been named every year since 1969, with the exceptions of 1993 and 2020. Between 1971–1975 and in 2000, only one team was selected per year. In 1969–1970, 1976 and 1987, two teams were ...

as a senior in 1989. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the

1989 Major League Baseball draft First-round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1989 Major League Baseball draft on June 5. Supplemental first round selections Other notable players * Brian Hunter, 2nd round, 35th overall by the Houston Astros * Ti ...

after graduating from high school. Burrell initially planned on attending the University of Miami to play baseball, before University of Connecticut assistant basketball coach Howie Dickenman convinced Burrell to commit to Connecticut.

College career

From 1989 to 1993, Burrell played at guard and forward for the Connecticut Huskies under Jim Calhoun. As a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

in 1989–90, Burrell averaged 8.2 points and 5.5

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. In 1990, Burrell was drafted by another baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays, and Burrell spent the next two summers playing minor league baseball. As a junior in 1991–92, Burrell averaged a career high 16.3 points, and he had a career high 7.5 rebounds in 1990–91. Burrell became the first player in NCAA basketball history to compile over 1,500 points, 750 rebounds, 275 assists and 300 steals. Burrell is known for his full-court pass with one second on the clock to Tate George, who hit a shot as time expired to beat Clemson in the East Regional semi-final of the

1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I men's college basketball. It began on March 15, 1990, and ended with the championsh ...

. Burrell went back to school and received his bachelor's degree in general studies from the University of Connecticut on May 8, 2010.

Professional career

Minor league baseball (1990–1991)

After being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the

1990 Major League Baseball draft The 1990 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...

, Burrell was a minor league baseball pitcher from 1990 to 1991, first with the

St. Catharines Blue Jays The St. Catharines Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team which played at Community Park in St. Catharines, Ontario. They were the Short-Season A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays in the New York–Penn League. History The team began pla ...

in 1990 and splitting the 1991 season between the

Myrtle Beach Hurricanes Myrtle may refer to: Plants *Myrtaceae, the myrtle family **''Myrtus'', the myrtle genus * List of plants known as myrtle, including a list of trees and plants known as myrtle In geography Canada * Myrtle, Ontario, a community United States * ...

and St. Catharines Blue Jays. Burrell had a 3.71 ERA and 2–6 record as a minor league pitcher.

Charlotte Hornets (1993–1997)

Burrell was selected by the

with the 20th overall pick in the

1993 NBA draft The 1993 NBA draft took place on June 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The draft had some talented players at the top, but injuries and personal problems hurt many of them. Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Ho ...

. He averaged 4.8 points per game during his rookie season, during which he missed 31 games due to knee, ankle, and Achilles tendon injuries. In the 1994–95 season, Burrell played in 65 games with 62 starts and averaged 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds. Despite a season ending injury on April 1, 1995, Burrell finished third in NBA Most Improved Player Award votes. On February 11, he also finished third at the AT&T Long-Distance Shootout. During the

1995–96 NBA season The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), though the 50th anniversary was not celebrated until the following season. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Final ...

, Burrell was limited to 20 games due to injuries, including Achilles tendon surgery. After that season, Burrell would play mostly off the bench.

Later NBA career (1997–2001)

On February 20, 1997, the Hornets traded Burrell to the

for Donald Royal. Burrell averaged 5.9 points overall in 1996–97. On September 22, 1997, the Warriors traded Burrell to the Chicago Bulls for Dickey Simpkins. Bulls general manager

Jerry Krause Jerome Richard Krause (April 6, 1939 – March 21, 2017) was an American sports scout and executive who was the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1985 to 2003. His tenure with the B ...

sought Burrell for his ability to play both forward spots. During the season, in which the Bulls won the NBA championship, Burrell played 80 games with three starts and averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds. On February 2, 1998, Burrell scored a season high 24 points in 18 minutes in a 111–72 victory over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. '' The Last Dance'', a 2020 ESPN and Netflix documentary series on Burrell's Bulls teammate

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

, depicts Burrell as a common target of Jordan's competitive banter. Burrell contributed to the Bulls’ success that season by guarding Jordan in practice. His athleticism made him a good match for Jordan. Shortly after the

1998–99 NBA lockout The 1998–99 NBA lockout was the third lockout of four in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It lasted from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999, and forced the 1998–99 regular season to be shortened to 50 games per team a ...

ended, the Bulls released Burrell on January 25, 1999. Burrell signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets nearly a week later on February 3; he would average 6.6 points in 1999 and 6.1 points in 1999–2000 with the Nets. Burrell had successful hand and knee surgery on April 27, 2000. On April 10, 2001, Burrell returned to the

, where he played four games off the bench in what would be his final NBA season.

NBDL and overseas career (2001–2006)

Burrell signed with National Basketball Development League (NBDL, now NBA G League) team Fayetteville Patriots on March 8, 2002. In six games with five starts, Burrell averaged 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in his only NBDL season. After leaving the NBDL, Burrell finished much of his professional basketball career internationally, starting with the Shaanxi Kylins of the Chinese Basketball Association where he averaged 18.0 points and 6.2 rebounds in 2002–03. In 2003–04, Burrell played for the Batang Thunder of the Philippine Basketball Association, averaging 25.1 points and 5.0 rebounds. Burrell returned to the U.S. signing with the Idaho Stampede of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

on November 30, 2004. Burrell played 14 games for the Stampede, averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds. In 2005, Burrell signed with Bilbao Basket of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

, where he played eight games and averaged 5.0 points. On January 24, 2005, Burrell signed with the Hitachi Sunrockers of the Japanese JBL Super League. Burrell averaged 6.2 points in his final pro basketball season with Hitachi in 2005–06.

Coaching career

In the 2006–07 season, Burrell was an assistant coach for the Colorado 14ers of the NBA D-League (now G League). On August 17, 2007, Burrell became an assistant coach for the

Quinnipiac Bobcats men's basketball The Quinnipiac Bobcats men's basketball team represents Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They are currently coached by Baker Dunleavy, for ...

team at Quinnipiac University in his hometown of Hamden, Connecticut, under former UConn assistant coach Tom Moore. Burrell helped Quinnipiac win the regular season Northeast Conference title and qualify for the NIT in the 2009–10 season. On July 13, 2015, Burrell was hired as head men's basketball coach at Southern Connecticut State University, a Division II school in New Haven. Inheriting a 24–8 team from former head coach Mike Donnelly, Burrell led the Southern Connecticut Fighting Owls to a 22–8 (17–3 conference) record, Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division title, and NCAA tournament appearance in his first season; as a result of this success, Burrell earned Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors. Burrell followed up with an 18–13 record and second straight NCAA tournament under his tenure (fourth overall for the program) in 2016–17. As of the 2019–20 season, Burrell has a 91–56 cumulative record at Southern Connecticut .

Head coaching record

Personal life

Following the Chicago Bulls' 1998 championship, Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland issued a proclamation of October 20, 1998 as "Scott Burrell Day," after the town of Hamden presented Burrell with a " key to the city." Burrell is married to SportsNet New York reporter Jeané Coakley. They have two children. His niece is the USA Eagles womens Rugby Union Lock

Alycia Washington Alycia Washington (born November 18, 1990) is an American rugby union player. She made her debut for the in 2016. She was named in the Eagles 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup squad. She was in the squad that played at the 2016 Women's Rugby Super ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 51 , , 16 , , 15.0 , , .419 , , .333 , , .657 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 65 , , 62 , , 31.0 , , .467 , , .409 , , .694 , , 5.7 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 11.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 20 , , 20 , , 34.7 , , .447 , , .378 , , .750 , , 4.9 , , 2.4 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 13.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 28 , , 2 , , 17.2 , , .344 , , .345 , , .792 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .4 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 29 , , 0 , , 15.8 , , .379 , , .361, , .652 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" , Chicago , 80 , , 3 , , 13.7 , , .424 , , .354 , , .734 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New Jersey , 32 , , 0 , , 22.1 , , .361 , , .389 , , .810 , , 3.7 , , 1.4 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 6.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , New Jersey , 74 , , 9 , , 18.1 , , .394 , , .353 , , .780 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .6 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 4 , , 0 , , 10.3 , , .467 , , .333 , , .250 , , .8 , , .3 , , .8 , , .0 , , 4.3 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan=2, Career , 383 , , 122 , , 19.8 , , .418 , , .373 , , .723 , , 3.5 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .5 , , 6.9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

† , align="left" , Chicago , 21 , , 0 , , 12.4 , , .438 , , .300 , , .909 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, align="left" , Charlotte , 2 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .667 , , 0 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 2.5 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan=2, Career , 23 , , 0 , , 11.9 , , .447 , , .286 , , .846 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 3.7

College

, - , 1989–90 , Connecticut , 32 , , 20 , , 25.8 , , .386 , , .313 , , .623 , , 5.5 , , 1.8 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , 8.2 , - , 1990–91 , Connecticut , 31 , , – , , 34.7 , , .440 , , .343 , , .592 , , 7.5 , , 3.1 , , 3.6 , , 1.3 , , 12.7 , - , 1991–92 , Connecticut , 30 , , 30 , , 35.3 , , .453 , , .396 , , .611 , , 6.1 , , 2.9 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 16.3 , - ,

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since th ...

, Connecticut , 26 , , –, , 33.1 , , .411 , , .345 , , .760 , , 6.0 , , 2.1 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , 16.1 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan=2, Career , 119 , , 50+ , , 32.1 , , .426, , .357 , , .640 , , 6.3 , , 2.5 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , 13.1

References

External links

*
Scott Burrell player profile
at NBA.com via Wayback Machine * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burrell, Scott 1971 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Barako Bull Energy Boosters players Baseball players from Connecticut Basketball coaches from Connecticut Basketball players from New Haven, Connecticut Bilbao Basket players Charlotte Hornets draft picks Charlotte Hornets players Chicago Bulls players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Colorado 14ers coaches Fayetteville Patriots players Golden State Warriors players Idaho Stampede (CBA) players Liga ACB players Myrtle Beach Hurricanes players New Jersey Nets players People from Hamden, Connecticut Philippine Basketball Association imports Quinnipiac Bobcats men's basketball coaches Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from New Haven, Connecticut St. Catharines Blue Jays players Sun Rockers Shibuya players UConn Huskies men's basketball players