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From the Wire: Ole Miss officially adds Loyola transfer guard Myles Burns

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•04/18/22•

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Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations | Ole Miss men’s basketball has added Myles Burns, who is coming off an astounding career and a national NAIA team title at Loyola New Orleans, head coach Kermit Davis announced Monday.

Burns – a 6-foot-6, 210-pound combo forward from Houston – was a four-time All-American, three-time First-Team All-SSAC honoree and three-time SSAC Defensive Player of the Year at Loyola New Orleans, where he was a consistent rebounding and defensive presence for the Wolf Pack. Across his career, Burns averaged 15.3 points (1,852), 8.8 rebounds (1,069), 3.0 steals (358), 2.5 assists (298) and 1.0 blocks (116) across 121 total games played.

“Some have thought Myles was the most impactful player in NAIA basketball since Dennis Rodman,” Davis said. “Myles has an unbelievable motor and is super athletic in the open floor. He led the NAIA with 151 offensive rebounds and had the most steals by a player at any collegiate level during the 21-22 season. 

“Myles is a fantastic student, a terrific teammate, and has been coached at a very high level by Stacy Hollowell. We are very excited to add Myles to our Ole Miss family.”

Most recently, Burns was a key contributor to Loyola’s first national title since 1945.

He averaged 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.4 assists while shooting .538 across the 2021-22 season. Burns was a Second-Team All-American and led the nation in steals and offensive rebounds (4.1), with his school record 152 total steals earning him the Marques Haynes Award – which is given annually to the player with the most steals in all of college basketball, regardless of division.

The rare combination of rebounding and defensive prowess has few rivals across all levels of collegiate basketball, with the nearest Division I comparison in terms of combined offensive rebounds (151) and steals (152) being national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky at 179 offensive boards and 60 steals.

Burns was a force in the NAIA title game against Talladega, recording 17 points, 17 rebounds (seven offensive), four steals, two assists and two blocks in 40 minutes played. Burns was that dominant throughout the tournament, earning the Chuck Taylor MVP award given to the national tournament MVP after recording 19.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.2 steals and four double-doubles in six tournament games.

Additionally, Burns was the SSAC Conference Tournament MVP and a three-time SSAC Player of the Week throughout his senior campaign.

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