Font Size:

He is only one game into his collegiate career and Deonte Burton has already transformed the image of the Wolf Pack basketball team from a gloomy, post-Babbitt & Johnson mystery into an athletic and promising brand.

Coming in, we knew the kid could play. The freshman out of Compton won the John Wooden Player of the Year Award and he picked up a scouts' rating of 92 out of 100 on ESPN.com. With a resume like that, Burton was expected to be a solid addition. Now, after just one game, we can expect he will one day be even stronger than the man he replaced at the point: Armon Johnson.

Is Burton better than Johnson right now? No. But it will not take very long before that happens. Burton already possesses an edge in outside shooting and his ability to take over games when most needed appears to be on track to match and eventually surpass Johnson's.

Late in the first half of Saturday's season-opening win over Montana, Burton made back-to-back plays that tipped the momentum in the Pack's favor. The freshman knocked down a 3-pointer, then seconds later came up with a huge steal and dish to Dario Hunt for a dunk. The Pack trailed by seven points before that play. Nevada proceeded to outscore the Grizzlies 54-32 the rest of the way to pick up an 81-66 victory. Burton finished with 17 points. Afterward, Nevada head coach David Carter called the steal and assist the turning point of the game. Rest assured, there will be more from the young point guard.

The football team is grabbing the headlines these days and that publicity is well-deserved, but if you thought the excitement of Pack basketball died when Luke and Armon went pro, you were sorely mistaken. Fact is, football season is winding down and soon it will be over, Deonte Burton, meanwhile, is just getting started.