Arizona State, Minnesota transfers highlight Burno’s first class

Seven student-athletes, including four transfers and three freshmen, highlight Northern Illinois University men’s basketball head coach Rashon Burno’s first recruiting class, announced on Wednesday.

The incoming class for the 2021-22 season includes:

Darweshi Hunter (Guard, 6-5, Cincinnati, Ohio/Weber State)

Noah Kon (Guard, 6-1, Houston, Texas/Houston Christian)

Martice Mitchell (Forward/Center, 6-10, Chicago Heights, Ill./Minnesota)

Montavious Myrick (Forward, 6-8, Atlanta, Ga./North Atlanta)

Chris Osten (Forward, 6-9, Crowley, La./Arizona State)

Zion Russell (Guard, 6-0, Upper Marlboro, Md./National Christian Academy)

Keshawn Williams (Guard, 6-3, Chicago Heights, Ill./Tulsa)

“I’m very excited. The guys that we are bringing in are all talented,” Burno said. “I wanted this class to have guys with multiple years (of eligibility). I didn’t go the fifth-year route because, as I said during my press conference, this is going to be a process. Everybody that we brought in has multiple years, five of them have four years, Keshawn Williams and Martice Mitchell, along with the three true freshmen. Darweshi Hunter and Chris Osten also bring maturity and experience while also being very talented.”

Osten rejoins Burno after playing at Arizona State in 2020-21, where he appeared in 24 games and made six starts. The Crowley, Louisiana, native shot 60 percent from the field as a Sun Devil, netting a season-high 12 points at Oregon State and a season-best eight rebounds against Washington. Osten, who will have two seasons of eligibility at NIU, attended Lee College before transferring to Arizona State.

“Chris is someone I am very familiar with having coached him at Arizona State,” Burno said. “He is a high character kid; he is super athletic and is going to bring experience to the frontcourt having played at a high level against the likes of UCLA. I expect him to come here and be a benchmark of expectations for our new guys as well as our returners who haven’t played for me. Chris is really going to excite the fanbase with things he can do around the rim.”

Mitchell prepped at Bloom High School with Williams, averaging 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game as a senior in 2019-20. Mitchell earned Champaign News-Gazette All-State Honorable Mention and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A Special Mention honors in his final year at Bloom. Mitchell began his collegiate career at Minnesota, where he appeared in seven games in 2020-21.

“Martice is 6-foot-10, super-skilled coming from Minnesota but is a local kid, similar to Keshawn (Williams),” said Burno. “We wanted to make sure we had guys with high-major experience that bring both experience and talent with them to NIU.”

Kon averaged 18.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game this past season at Houston Christian High School, earning Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Private School All-State honors and All-VYPE Private School First Team recognition. The all-time leading scorer at Houston Christian, Kon was a finalist for the Guy V. Lewis Award as the Greater Houston Area Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

“Noah was our first commitment and he is a winner, he won multiple state titles and competed at the highest level in the State of Texas,” said Burno. “High school basketball in Texas is very good, as good as any major state, Texas is right up there. Noah is also a high academic kid who will compete at a high level. To have him as our first recruit is something that I am really excited about.”

Russell comes to NIU from National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md., where he averaged 23 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and two steals per game this past season. In 2019-20, Russell went to Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., where he averaged 13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

“Zion is a super-talented, athletic guard from the East Coast,” said Burno. “He can score, he can play multiple positions and is a fierce competitor. I am very excited about Zion’s ability and what he will bring to the program.”

Myrick averaged 12.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as a senior at North Atlanta High School, helping the Warriors to a 20-4 record. Myrick earned Class 6A All-Region 4 honors while helping North Atlanta reach the second round of the 6A state playoffs.

“Montavious is really athletic and has great size,” said Burno. “He plays extremely hard and has a high skill level. I am happy and excited about what he is going to bring to the table. Noah, Zion and Montavious are three high school kids that I wanted to have in the program to build for the future.”

Williams returns home following one season at Tulsa, where he appeared in 19 games and made one start. Williams averaged 3.1 points per game and scored a season-high 20 points against Southwestern Christian. A three-year starter at Bloom High School, Williams averaged 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals per game as a senior at Bloom and was ranked as the number three player in the State of Illinois by Prep Hoops.

“Kewshawn is a local kid who comes in with a high reputation,” said Burno. “Having a chance to get to know him and his family, I am super excited about what he brings to the table, on and off the court as a competitor. He is someone I identified early from the transfer portal that I wanted to have at NIU because he helps us win now and also helps us from a recruiting standpoint, to get other local talent to consider staying home at NIU.”

Hunter averaged 20.7 points per game as a freshman at Central State in Dayton, Ohio in 2019-20, second most among Division I freshman that season. After being named to the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) First Team, as well as SIAC Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, Hunter transferred to Weber State, where he appeared in seven games this past season.

“Darweshi is a 6-foot-5, skilled guard. He is a unique story, as a Division II All-American he played some games against teams in the MAC and averaged about 25 points against those teams. He had the opportunity to go to Weber State but was cleared late and, with COVID taking place, wanted to come closer to home and we are super-excited to have him. He can shoot the ball, has good size, is versatile and is another fierce competitor.”