NSR Male AOD: Derek Burchett, point guard, from Waverly High, Illinois, ranked #1 in his class

Our Male Athlete of the Day is Derek Burchett, a 5’9″ point guard who carries a very impressive 4.3 GPA with intentions of majoring in Criminal Justice.  He holds the top rank in his senior class of 161 classmates at Waverly High School in Waverly, Illinois.  With a long list of accolades, Dereck tells college coaches in his personal essay that, “I am an honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society and aspire to be a leader in the classroom, on the court, and in my other endeavors. I will strive for academic success in college just like I have throughout my High School years.  I have a love and passion to play basketball.  I am always working on ways to improve my game.  I also have a passion to be stronger, quicker, faster and to jump higher, I constantly work on getting better in these phases 3 to 4 times every week.   I love this game with all my heart and believe without a doubt that I can play and make a team better and look forward to earning that opportunity in college.”  As a junior, Derek was honored by being selected to the All Tournament Team at the Edinburg Turkey Classic, the Waverly Holiday Tournament and the Winchester Invitational Tournament.  In the post season, he was named to the MSM All-Conference Team, selected Honorable Mention All-State, IBCA Special Mention All-State, State Journal Register All-Area Team and the Jacksonville Journal Courier All-Area Team.  In his scouting report on Dereck, NSR scout Tyler Dihle says, “Derek is an incredibly skilled point guard.  He is strong with the basketball with either hand.  He can blow by defenders and either create his own shot or distribute the ball.  Derek also shoots the ball well from outside.  His work ethic is outstanding both on the court and in the classroom.  He is constantly working to improve his game and his gpa is better than perfect.  Derek’s skills and leadership would be an asset to any school lucky enough to land him.”