SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Sycamore High School senior Raleigh Burgess gave a slight tug of his Purdue University T-shirt and smiled early Monday afternoon.
The 6-foot-11 power forward/center and Purdue signee thought about how he will watch Monday night's NCAA men's basketball national championship game between his future team and the University of Connecticut. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
"I'm just going to wear my Purdue gear and chill out at home and watch it," said Burgess, who signed with the Boilermakers this past November. "I don't really have any expectations going into it. I guess they might be a little bit of an underdog but I think it's going to be super fun to watch especially knowing all the guys that are playing out there and the coaches that are coaching."
Burgess texted the coaches in advance of Monday night's game.
"I'm trying not to jinx anything this time so I'm going to keep my hands out of it until hopefully after they win," Burgess said.
He also sent a text message to head coach Matt Painter after Purdue's six-point win over Tennessee in the Elite Eight and called Painter before the NCAA tournament started.
"It's been exciting," Burgess said. "After last year there definitely were some doubts about tournament experience and winning in the tournament but this year has just been really fun to watch and it's been really redeeming to say that's the school that I picked and that's what they're doing."
Top-seeded Purdue lost to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023 but it's quite a different story this year.
"It's very similar to what Virginia did five years ago now," Burgess said. "And how they lost to that 16 seed. The next year they kind of just stormed college basketball and won it all. So I'm hoping that can be repeated. It's exciting for all those guys that work so hard and for their season to end like that last year and to see where they are this year it's just exciting."
Burgess, a Division I special mention all-state player his senior season, averaged 15.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 1.5 assists this past year for the Aviators (19-7).
Painter said told the Purdue athletics website in November that Burgess has the athleticism, mobility and ability to play at the four and the five positions.
"He has the ability to stretch the defense, but also play down low," Painter said. "His versatility and size makes him interchangeable and he plays really hard and has a lot of fun playing the game."
Burgess, rated Ohio's fourth-best player in the 2024 class by the 247 Sports Composite, graduates from Sycamore May 26 and reports to West Lafayette in early June. Burgess plans to study a field related to business perhaps in finance or marketing.
"I'm enjoying just being a senior for a couple of weeks," Burgess said. "But, at the same time, it feels like I'm counting down the days until I get on campus. I'm really excited about it."
Burgess would love nothing more than to join a reigning national champion.
"Hopefully seeing Purdue out there and see Purdue on that stage I can picture myself out there on that stage the next couple of years," said Burgess. "That's kind of setting the standard and the goal for all the guys coming in. We want to get there. We want to do what they're doing right now."
