Brian Burton - Men's Basketball Coach

Brian Burton

Title:
Director of Basketball Operations
Email:
brianburton@csufresno.edu

Last Updated: Sept. 22, 2017

Brian Burton is in his first season as the director of basketball operations on the Fresno State men’s basketball staff.

Burton comes to Fresno State entering his 13th season in collegiate coaching and most recently spent the last three seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. During his time with Lamar, Burton was an instrumental part of a staff that produced one of the nation’s top turnarounds as the Cardinals won 15 games in his first season – improving from winning five or fewer games in back-to-back seasons before his arrival in Beaumont.

Burton was promoted to Lamar’s recruiting coordinator for the 2016-17 season, which saw the Cardinals earn a postseason appearance with 19 wins for the program’s first-ever CIT berth. During the 2016-17 season, Burton helped coached the Cardinals to a road win at Oregon State and had two all-conference honorees, including first-team All-Southland selection Colton Weisbrod.

Burton was pivotal in recruiting and signing multiple Top 50 players out of Texas for Lamar, along with highly touted transfers, including Weisbrod, who was a junior college first-team All-American and player of the year.

Before working at Lamar, Burton also worked as an assistant at Abilene Christian and Utah. Prior to ACU and Utah, he had five successful years coaching junior college programs with time at Richland College, Collin College, Paris Junior College and Midland College.

During his time at ACU, Burton helped oversee Wildcats’ transition up from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I. Burton helped produce one of the program’s better seasons in 2011 where the Wildcats quadrupled their conference win total from the previous year. Burton was named ACU’s recruiting coordinator in his final season in Abilene, where he helped assemble a class that included Top 30 players from the state of Texas.

Prior to his stint in Abilene, Burton spent one season as assistant for player development under Jim Boylen at Utah, who was a member of the Mountain West at the time.

Over the course of five years coaching junior college, Burton’s schools recorded more than 100 wins (.761 winning percentage), four national rankings, including three in the top 10, and three conference championships.

Burton’s most notable junior college signee was current NBA guard Jonathon Simmons out of Houston, Texas. Burton recruited Simmons to both Midland College and Paris College, where both teams were rated as high as No. 1 and No. 6 in the country, respectively. Simmons had played two seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and signed a three-year contract with the Orlando Magic this summer.

In addition to Simmons, Burton helped produce 22 NCAA Division I signees, 17 all-conference selections, two All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans during his five years coaching junior college.

Burton has also worked in skill development under some of the best basketball trainers in the country for Nike and the Bryant Skills Academy (formerly owned by current Utah Jazz assistant Johnnie Bryant).

Prior to his coaching career, Burton started his career in grassroots basketball with Dallas Hoop Dreams, an organization he created, along with his younger brother, Jason, who is currently the women’s head coach at Texas A&M-Commerce. Burton would also later coach with grassroots organizations The Dallas Mustangs and Dallas Showtyme.

Burton received his bachelor’s degree in American Studies in Business and Technology from UT-Dallas in 2005 following a standout playing career as a two-year starter at point guard. A two-year team captain, he led the now Division III power to its first conference title and winning season in school history.

Burton is married to the former Natalie Rawson and they have a daughter named Janiyah. Burton and all three of his brothers played at the collegiate level. Burton is originally from Plano, Texas.