Sycamore鈥檚 Raleigh Burgess signs with Division I basketball power
CINCINNATI — Anyone who has seen Sycamore High School senior Raleigh Burgess play basketball is familiar with his talent.
The 6-foot-11-inch center led the Greater Miami Conference in rebounds (9.3 per game) and blocked shots (3.5 per game), is fourth in scoring (14.4 points per game) and fifth in field goal percentage (88-for-146, 60.3 percent, as of Feb. 6). Burgess had four 鈥渄ouble-doubles鈥� (10 or more points and rebounds in the same game), including 24 points and 12 rebounds vs. Fairfield and 24 points and 17 rebounds vs. Mason.
Those numbers, of themselves, are impressive; moreso considering that Burgess missed the second half of his junior season with a leg injury. His return is one reason Sycamore was atop the GMC with two weeks remaining in the regular season, with a 14-3 overall record and 10-3 conference mark.
Head coach Tim Austing said Burgess has been ahead of schedule in his recovery.
鈥淲e were not sure exactly what to expect for a recovery timeline,鈥� Austing said. 鈥淗e has pretty much been on or ahead of schedule since the beginning. We try to monitor his time in practice, but other than that he has been full speed from day one.鈥� Burgess scored 14 points in his first game back, at Erlanger Lloyd.
The most difficult part for Burgess was watching the Aviators play without him, he said. but admitted the rehab and recovery were 鈥減retty draining.鈥� he felt lingering effects through the end of summer, but said the leg is fully healed.
Burgess stands out, literally and figuratively, whether in the team photo or the stat sheet, but his coach said his value comes in those moments, those characteristics that the average fan may not see.
鈥淚 could point to a bunch of basketball plays that make you stop and realize what kind of talent he is 鈥� he jumps off the screen on film every game,鈥� Austing said. 鈥淏ut it’s the moments in practice, weight room, team meetings etc … where he stands out. This is one of the best team chemistry, culture, locker rooms I have ever coached. Raleigh is a huge reason for that.鈥�
GMC coaches recognized Burgess鈥檚 talents and impact on the team, selecting him first-team all-league, though he played in only half of his team鈥檚 games in 2022-2023.
College recruiters certainly noticed. Burgess signed a National Letter-of-Intent last fall to play at Purdue University, choosing the West Lafayette, Indiana, school over Cincinnati Indiana, Ohio State, Stanford and Virginia, among others. He made between 15 and 20 campus visits.
鈥淚 had to appreciate that schools recognized me and my talent, but it was pretty stressful regarding calls and visits,鈥� Burgess said. he is undecided on a major, but hopes to someday operate his own business.
鈥淩aleigh had a clear plan for his basketball and academic future from the start,鈥� Austing said. 鈥淲e just supported him in whatever way he needed. Our workouts just have a lot more visitors.鈥�
What kind of player will the Boilermakers get?
鈥淯nique combination of length, skill and basketball IQ. Type of player that you see improvement daily because of that combination,鈥� Austing said. 鈥淔rom day one we never wanted him to be a forward. We wanted him shooting, handling and playing at all levels to showcase his skill set.鈥�
As the final month of his high school career approached, Burgess reflected more on team accomplishments than individual accolades, noting Sycamore鈥檚 overall success. The Aviators went from 9-14 in 2020-2021 to 21-3 in 2021-2022, and were 9-2 in his 11 games as a junior. He averaged 1.2 points and 0.5 rebounds per games as a freshman; 10.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg as a sophomore.
鈥淚ndividually, the GMC all-conference teams are pretty cool, but I think team accolades are better,鈥� Burgess said.
A Montgomery resident, is a two-year member of the National Honor Society and played for Sycamore鈥檚 golf program in the fall. He said math and history are his favorite subjects.
Burgess is one of six Sycamore student-athletes who signed letters-of-intent in November. The others are:
- Maddy Ehrhardt, soccer, Wilmington College. Ehrhardt played four seasons at Sycamore, scoring five goals and an assist.
- Austin Harden, baseball, Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Harden, the son of Sycamore Athletic Director Mark Harden, played his first three seasons at Middletown Madison High School, with a career batting average of .263, with 25 runs batted in and 30 runs scored.
- Nicholas Meyers, tennis, Dennison University. Meyers was the GMC Player of the Year in 2023, when he was 18-2 overall and 8-0 in the GMC during the regular season. He placed third in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I state tournament.
- Carly Thiel, lacrosse, Lindenwood University. According to maxpreps.com, Thiel ranked 16th in the nation in 2023 with 121 goals.
- Caroline Thompson, golf, University of Richmond. Thompson set a school record, shooting a seven-under par 65 at the Sycamore Invitational last August at Walden Ponds Golf Course. She was named first-team All-GMC, tied for the Division I district individual championship with Lebanon鈥檚 Olivia Donovan and Sycamore鈥檚 Jenna Dejonckheere, and tied for 34th at the state tournament.
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