Steve Milton: Seasoned Pro Murphy Burnatowski Joins Honey Badgers' Run Toward Playoffs
Graduated high school in Hamilton, played in NBL of Canada finals and in Vietnam earlier this year
It's the stretch drive, so the Hamilton Honey Badgers are stretching their roster.
The Badgers have been waiting for 6-foot-8 all-purpose forward Murphy Burnatowski to sign since they drafted the Waterloo native back in March, and he'll finally be in their lineup for Thursday's road game at Fraser Valley Thursday and Sunday's vitally important home date with the Edmonton Stingers. With six games left in their schedule, the Badgers (8-6) trail the second-place, and red-hot, Stingers by a game-and-a-half in the Canadian Elite Basketball League standings.
Burnatowski, 27, was taken in the "Open Rounds" (rounds 5 to 11) of the three-tier CEBL draft. The league won't release actual draft positions.
He spent the first part of the 2018-19 playing in Vietnam, where he was captain of the Saigon Heat of the ASEAN Basketball League, then made the dramatic switch — environmentally and culturally — to Newfoundland in February to play for the St. John's Edge of the NBL of Canada. He was recruited by Edge GM and star guard, Carl English, whom he knew from his experience with Canada's national team.
Burnatowski moved to Hamilton for his final two years of high school to be a part of Canada Basketball's well-conceived but short-lived NEDA (National Elite Development Academy) program. The academy brought many of Canada's top young players, male and female, to town including Kelly Olynyk now of the Miami Heat , and was centred around training at McMaster and high school studies at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School. Burnatowski played in the 2007-08, and 2008-09 seasons and got his high school diploma from St. Mary's before heading off to the NCAA at Maine and, later, Colgate.
"So this is a little bit of a homecoming for me," Burnatowski says. "NEDA was definitely beneficial for me, Kelly was the biggest name who came out of it, but it helped a lot of players there go on to play really good basketball."
After his NCAA career, Burnatowski played professionally in Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, and Cyprus before Vietnam, and then St. John's where he averaged a healthy 16.3 points over seven regular season games. He helped the Edge to the league championship final, which their injury-riddled lineup lost to Moncton in four straight.
"It was really cool in St. John's," he said. "I knew (English) from the national team and it was great to play with him again. He's the reason the team is there. I wasn't expecting the following it had, usually 4,000 a game, sometimes 5,000. They showed the team a lot of love and it made my first time in Canada as a pro a good experience.
"I've played a little bit of everywhere, and I've seen the world in those leagues, and in representing Canada."
Burnatowski is still weighing his pro options — Canada, Europe, back to the ASEAN League — for the fall and winter. He needed time off to rest his body after a long season and to spend time with his girlfriend in Halifax before coming to Hamilton for another six weeks of basketball.
He's a versatile offensive player who can also defend, and has played all the spots on the floor, including some point guard as an injury replacement in Vietnam.
"I have some friends in Hamilton," he says, "and I've kept in touch with Chantal (Badgers' coach Vallée) over the season, ever since they drafted me. I have a lot of respect for her. And maybe I can help win a championship."
Which is sorta what the Badgers have in mind.
smilton@thespec.com
905-526-3268 | @miltonatthespec
905-526-3268 | @miltonatthespec