UWGB coach Doug Gottlieb lands big-time shooter in Christian Burnett

UWGB coach Doug Gottlieb and his staff spent so much time with him that Gottlieb even arrived past his scheduled interview time with the media before the Phoenix-Packers Steak Fry at Lambeau Field.

Burnett spoke to his family after the visit and decided to join UWGB a few days later.

“They reached out, they really wanted me, they showed they really needed me,” Burnett said. “Campus life is great. Coaches were great. I feel like all the coaches are on the same page, too.”

Christian Burnett ready to prove he belongs in Division I

Despite a notable career at Baldwin High School in Georgia, a 4.5 grade-point average and interest from Ivy League schools, Burnett did not attract much recruiting attention.

He spent the 2023-24 season as a post grad at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. He landed the next season at Gordon State, an NJCAA school in Barnesville, Georgia, which is about 60 miles from his hometown of Milledgeville.

Burnett has been a star for the Highlanders the past two seasons.

He started all 62 games during that span, averaging 17.9 points as a freshman and 18.1 as a sophomore.

Burnett shot 35.6% from 3 during his career, including 36.4% this season when he went 67-for-184 from beyond the arc.

If he can replicate that kind of shooting in DI, he would have been one of UWGB’s top threats from deep.

He also scored 20 or more points 12 times, including 30 or more three times.

Burnett put his basketball IQ on display even more this season after he shifted to point guard, not to mention he showed an ability to rebound and guard the other team’s top offensive player when asked.

Lundy said when UWM signed Burnett that he is a big guard who can shoot it off the catch, off the dribble, on the move and off action.

It’s just that now he will be doing it for the Phoenix instead of the Panthers, and it’s time to prove to the rest of mid-major basketball that he belongs at this level.

“I feel like I’ve been overlooked for so long,” Burnett said. “To finally be in the spotlight, everybody is going to see. Everybody is going to see the work I’ve put in and what they missed. I’m here to win games. Win conference. That’s what I’m trying to get accomplished.”

Burnett has been around the sport his entire life. He even had a story written about him when he was in third grade because he kept hitting half-court shots while at Blandy Hills Elementary.

His father, William, is a longtime basketball coach who gave his son the nickname “Ice” after former NBA star George Gervin.

He and his father kept working on his game when he reached high school and again when he was flying under the recruiting radar.

Before any coach must tell Burnett what he needs to work on, his father already has told him.

“Me and my dad, all we could do was get back into the lab,” Burnett said. “Keep working hard. They are going to feel me once I finally get there. They are going to feel everything I went through. I didn’t really cry about it. My dad always told me you can’t cry over spilled milk. You got to go get it back, so that’s what I’m doing.”

As for those two games he will play each season against UWM?

“It’s going to be good, like I said, there is no bad blood,” Burnett said. “But when I step in between the lines, it’s all seriousness. Best of luck to them, but I’m coming to win.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB coach Doug Gottlieb lands a big-time shooter in Christian Burnett