Born into athletics, Jamarius Burton steps up when Pitt needs him the most

Jamarius Burton’s mom, Kimberly, and two aunts played college basketball.

Sisters Kimera and Destani went to college on full athletic scholarships.

Uncle Todd Peat had a six-year career in the NFL. Cousin Austin Peat played on Stanford’s offensive line and was drafted 13th overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2015.

No need to wonder where Burton gets his competitive juice.

In Pitt’s season of reconstruction and uncertainty, Burton has turned into the glue that has helped keep the team together. He is also Pitt’s testament to the worth of the NCAA transfer portal.

After missing the first two games with a knee injury, Burton, who previously played at Wichita State and Texas Tech, immediately earned significant minutes, eventually moving into the starting lineup before the end of November. Now, if coach Jeff Capel doesn’t get nervous when Burton comes off the floor, he should.

In his past 10 starts, Burton has played at least 34½ minutes. He didn’t miss a second against Boston College, was off for 15 seconds in the Louisville game, 49 against Jacksonville. Pitt won all three.

In 11 games as a starter, he is averaging 14.6 points, nearly four rebounds and more than two assists per game.

After finding his shot accuracy — he was 15 for 52 (28.8%) in his first five games — Burton has made at least half of his shots from the field four times.

But his most intriguing skill surfaces when he steps to the foul line. He leads the ACC in free-throw percentage (91.7, 44 of 48) and has a streak of 23 successful shots. He’s 38 of 39 (97.4%) since becoming a starter. Only one player in Pitt history has finished a season plus-90%. Sean Miller did it in 1989 and 1991 — 91.4% and 90.5%.

It’s not just the numbers, however. Capel said he likes the look of his 21-year-old, 6-foot-4 guard.

“Maybe his best game he played,” Capel said after Burton scored 20 points to help defeat Louisville on Saturday, 65-53.

“He was strong in how he played, but also in how he looked out there. We fed off that. He was determined, how he was in huddles, how he was with his teammates. It was just strong. He looked like a leader out there for 40 minutes.”

Capel wasn’t concerned by Burton’s slow start.

“You don’t sit out five weeks and come back and jump right into it and you’re good,” the coach said. “It takes time to build up. To get your body right, to get your legs under you. He’s a worker. He’s a strong guy. He’s a man and we need him to be a man because we’re pretty young out there.”

In his fourth season with his third team, Burton has double the experience of many of his teammates. He played in the NCAA Tournament last season with Texas Tech, so he understands the need to contribute more than numbers on a stat sheet.

“For me, it’s just being positive at all times,” he said.

He said he learned that during his freshman season (2018-19) at Wichita State when the Shockers won 22 games, including three in the NIT. Burton led the team in assists (3.4 per game), breaking a 32-year-old school freshman record with 126.

“The biggest thing I took away from the seniors at that time is that they were always positive,” he said. “They were always encouraging us to be better. I feel like that’s one of my biggest roles (at Pitt).

“I feel like each and every day I have to bring that to this team.”

Burton said he emphasized to senior forward Mouhamadou Gueye that Pitt needs his shot-blocking ability.

“I told Mo he has to be the eraser for us,” Burton said after Gueye blocked four Louisville shots. “When people make mistakes, he has to come in and erase. He did that and I am so proud of him.”