DJ Burns Captures Hearts, Becomes Fan Favorite During NC State's Run To Sweet 16

His path to the spotlight has been filled with road blocks and tough decisions, but NC State's DJ Burns has found a way to capture the hearts of college basketball fans this postseason. 

Burns started his college career at Tennessee with high hopes that the Rock Hill, South Carolina native could become a force in the paint at the highest level in the sport. There was optimism around the program in Knoxville that he could become an integral part of what Rick Barnes had already been building with the Vols basketball program. 

But sometimes life has other plans, and for DJ Burns, he needed to grow up somewhere else before he could learn how to be the dominant player that many thought he could be at Tennessee. So, with the help of the Vols staff, he transferred to his hometown school and joined the Winthrop basketball team. 

This is when the college basketball world started to hear whispers about the big man, noticing his size and presence in the paint. Not only was this transformation into the dominant player, but this was a chance to finally make good on a promise he made to himself to take advantage of the opportunity given. 

His highlights started being noticed around the country, playing three seasons at Winthrop in the Big South conference, where he helped his team reach the NCAA Tournament. He wasn't as filled out as he is now, and his game didn't consist of taking the ball at the top of the key. But it was almost as if the world had bigger plans for DJ Burns when he decided it was time to move on and play NC State, finally getting back to the high-profile level of college basketball. 

After his first season playing for the Wolfpack, there were signs that Burns could become a problem for teams in the ACC, with a body built like a Mack truck. His agility with the basketball was something we'd rarely seen for a guy at his size, and his ability to drive the basket seemingly caught folks off-guard. 

DJ Burns Changed His Game Since Tennessee Days, NC State Has Benefitted 

Who was this guy that was smiling and talking trash to opposing fans all in good fun? Entering this season, tensions were high around the NC State program, with pressure being put on head coach Kevin Keatts to make the NCAA tournament, or the school might have to go in a different direction. 

But they needed their big man to get in the type of shape that could have him playing the minutes needed from the coaching staff. This wasn't the first time that Burns had to deal with his weight. When he arrived at Tennessee during his freshman season, the staff made it a point to get DJ Burns at a certain weight. He ended up dropping almost 40 pounds, and followed in the path of his teammates that year in Knoxville, where most of the squad looked as though they'd been preparing for a power-lifitng contest. 

"If you really want to see D.J., you should get with my strength and conditioning coach," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said last week. "He has a picture on his phone when he left Tennessee, you wouldn't recognize him. D.J., just like he does now, practice. He can score, he's got great hands, knew how to get the ball where he wanted to do it.

"One thing that I really respect about D.J., even when he left, he would often send texts back to people just saying how much he learned while he was at Tennessee, and he understands more now than he did then, which it happens. It really does."

Even almost five seasons later, Rick Barnes knew that DJ Burns could become something special, and a lot of that had to do with his family surrounding him, and his ability to see the basket. 

"When he left, went to Winthrop, I thought he got some great people around him. Again, he's got a wonderful family," Barnes noted.  "I'm not surprised because the guy knows how to score the basketball, and he knows, whether you want to say he's in shape or out of shape, he knows what he's doing when he's out there and he knows how to get around and be effective. So I'm not really surprised by it."

DJ Burns pictured with his teammates during his first year at Tennessee

Maybe that same type of formula would work at North Carolina State this season, with the staff knowing they needed to do something for the young man. So, he got to work during the middle of this season, forming better eating habits and a sleep schedule that would mentally help him succeed. The plan to get him in better shape, but also in brighter spot mentally paid off, as Burns once again found his confidence. 

If you've been paying attention to DJ Burns over the past two months, it's obvious that he took his game on the court to another level. Sure, his ability to drive the basket at his weight has made the story even crazier, and his new fame has carried over into being a guest on the Rich Eisen Show, along with a number of different podcasts this week. 

Burns has the attitude, along with such a big heart that it's almost a challenge for him not to smile. While the rest of the world talks about the big guy from NC State, fans around the Raleigh community have embraced the bubbly big-man who walks around campus with a smile on his face. 

North Carolina State Makes Postseason Run, DJ Burns Becomes Story

But there was a point in the season where this spotlight on the program wasn't bright, the actual opposite of that. The Wolfpack were facing an early end to their season, until the ACC Tournament started. Shockingly, North Carolina State won five games in five days to hoist the tournament trophy, while also clinching a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

Nobody saw this coming. You would've been called crazy a month ago if you had predicted NC State would be playing in the Sweet-16. This team won just eight games from January 1st until the regular season finale. 

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 23: DJ Burns Jr. #30 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack reacts during the first half of a gameagainst the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 23, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

But now, Kevin Keatts, along with a bevy of hard-working players, have won seven-in-a-row. A chance to make the elite-eight is on the line tonight against Marquette, but if you're a Wolfpack fan that jumped off the boat before the ACC Tournament, DJ Burns has a message for you. 

"I'm just saying welcome back. They didn't really believe in us. They probably still don't, but that doesn't matter to us," Burns mentioned this past week. "We're just going to stay together. If you're supporting us, thank you. If not, that's what it is."

March Madness certainly puts the spotlight on a number of players who have a story to tell. But the book that DJ Burns one day writes about his college career will certainly be one that you can't put down, as his rise to fame this postseason has been a story for the ages.