Burrell excited to be inducted into Huskies of Honor

NEW HAVEN — Scott Burrell’s parents will be there Friday night at Gampel Pavilion. His dad, Sam, and mom, Gert, parents who have honored academics every bit as much as athletics. His wife, Jeané Coakley — the SportsNet New York reporter who knows the stories about The Pass, the professional drafts and Michael Jordan — will be there, too.

Cora, only 13 weeks, will be there, as her daddy’s No. 24 jersey is placed among the Huskies of Honor high on the Gampel wall during pregame ceremonies. Southern Connecticut will receive $25,000 to play in UConn’s opening exhibition game, but a night such as this will be priceless for the Owls’ head coach.

“It’s nerve-wracking, because you want to get up and make a quick little speech,” Burrell said Tuesday. “You’re excited about being honored in front of your friends and family, your own team is there.

“In the back of your mind, I’ll also be thinking, ‘Man, I hope my team competes well.’ So there will be a bunch of things racing around in my head.”

The star, though, could be Coakley, a 21⁄2-year-old bundle of energy. Burrell’s son might bust loose and start rushing people like he’s playing Jim Calhoun’s pressure defense during the 1989-90 Dream Season.

“You’ve got to watch him,” Burrell said. “He could start running all over the court. He’ll either get nervous or he’ll want to put on a show. Oh, yeah, I’m worried about him.

“It’s funny. People always ask me, ‘Why isn’t your name on the wall?’ I can’t answer that question, but now they can stop asking. It’s really exciting; my kids don’t know what’s going on, but eventually they’ll go back to the building and see their father’s name up there. Up there forever. That’s really nice.”

On this late afternoon, following a Monday night scrimmage against Bridgeport, Burrell settled into his seat. He had fought some traffic congestion, was fighting a bit of a cold congestion and now he was considering the constraining notion of being such a storied athlete.

Anyone who knows the story of UConn basketball knows the story of Burrell’s 94-foot inbound strike to Tate George with one second left that led to Tate’s baseline jumper to beat Clemson in the Sweet Sixteen at the Meadowlands.

And anyone with a sense of sports trivia knows Burrell is the only one to be drafted in the first round of the NBA and Major League Baseball drafts: in 1989 by the Seattle Mariners and 1993 by the Charlotte Hornets.

“People always say, ‘Scott Burrell. Great athlete,’ ” he said. “I appreciate people just mentioning my name. I wish I was known for being as much an overall basketball player as an athlete.”

That’s the least Burrell deserves.

Yes, he was a three-sport star at Hamden High. Yes, he had a fastball that could tickle the mid-90s, he had the kind of arm that could make history on a basketball court. Scott Burrell was all of it, the kind of storied athlete a kid like Bobby Valentine was growing up in Stamford.

Yet in painting the multidimensional state athletic legend, something can be lost. He was one hell of a versatile basketball player, too.

Burrell scored 1,562 points at UConn. He had 752 rebounds and 293 assists. He had a school-record 310 steals. He is the only UConn player ever to put up those combined numbers. He was the first in NCAA history to hit 1,500, 750, 275 and 300.

It was Howie Dickenman, the former UConn assistant and Central Connecticut head coach, who recruited Burrell like a pack of hunting dogs.

“He was relentless,” Burrell said. “Every week he was at my school or writing a note. Just relentless. Phone calls. He put everything into it. At that time, I was going to commit to Miami baseball. Coach (Calhoun) convinced me to stay in state and go to UConn.”

Burrell didn’t have a basketball hero growing up, certainly not like in baseball.

“I loved Dwight Gooden,” Burrell said. “I’d do the high kick. Wore No. 16 like he did.”

He has never met Doc. Met Darryl Strawberry. Met Ron Darling. Doesn’t know Doc. He knows The Pass that led to The Shot, though. Nearly three decades later, the replay never gets old, and there is one nuance Burrell likes people to notice.

“Tate gave me a great place to throw the ball,” Burrell said. “He was the only one who really shielded his guy off to give me a spot toward the corner to throw it. Catch. Turn.”

The rest is UConn history.

As is winning an NBA ring with the Bulls in 1998.

“No one competes like Michael Jordan, and if you don’t bring it every day to try to match his competitive level, he’s going to come at you,” Burrell said. “There are no days off with Michael Jordan.”

So all those stories are true?

“You’d better bring it every day,” Burrell said. “He never let you slack off.”

Time flies. He sees former teammate Dennis Rodman visiting North Korea, shakes his head and goes, “That’s crazy.” The years pass, but the part that sticks with Burrell are his UConn teammates. He runs through the names: Tate, Chris Smith, Murray Williams, Rod Sellers, John Gwynn, Nadav Henefeld, Lyman DePriest, Steve Pikiell.

“I love them,” he said. “We were all underrated; no one except Chris Smith was a top recruit. We had something to prove. That team was so competitive. Coach (Calhoun) instilled that in us. It’s tough when you play for him, but you love him so much and he gets the most out of you, so it’s worth it.

“Coming back to coach at St. Joseph’s? Whatever makes him happy. He has the passion. He loves the competition. That keeps him healthy and energized.”

Talking about Kevin Ollie is not nearly as easy for Burrell.

“UConn is put on a high pedestal,” he said. “People say the conference (AAC) hurt the recruiting. I guarantee it does, but at the same time they won four national championships. It’s not easy to build. You have four, five bad years at Kentucky, you’ll still have a chance to win. UConn loses its luster, it’s hard to get it back.

“I don’t know if Kevin deserved to get fired. It’s not my job to say. I think the way they did it was tough. It wasn’t a great way. I wish they did something behind closed doors for a settlement. I also think Danny Hurley is going to do a great job. He has won wherever he has gone.”

Friday, when he becomes the 21st player among the Huskies of Honor, will mark the fifth time Burrell will be back in Gampel since leaving UConn. A women’s game, a men’s game, his niece’s graduation, the 2016 game against UConn — he counts them up. Burrell also played against Southern Connecticut in 1989-90, a regularseason game, but it was in December at Greer Field House. It was a UConn rout. The freshman had had nine points.

“I guarantee our guys will be fired up,” Burrell said. “I just hope we play smart.”

He wants them to be great overall basketball players. Like their coach.