March Madness is where college hoops legends are born. One of the best parts of the tournament is seeing the players’ parents watching it all unfold from the stands.
NC State’s DJ Burns on Saturday won the battle of tournament darlings over Oakland’s Jack Gohlke in a 79-73 overtime contest at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Burns was an absolute stud for NC State. The 6’9″, 275-pound big man pounded Oakland for 24 points and 11 rebounds, doubling his season average in both categories.
DJ Burns and NC State advance to the Sweet 16 🔥
Burns finished with 24 pts, 11 reb, and 4 ast in the win @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/k9PHo5Pb60
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 24, 2024
Burns’ father in the crowd was seen cheering on his son throughout the contest. After his son led NC State to the Sweet 16, the elder Burns was glowing with pride.
“Oh man, biggest game of his life. Let’s go, baby,” said Dwight Burns.
DJ Burns’ father on his son’s performance: “Biggest game of his life!” pic.twitter.com/jtV8ipRgXP
— Pack Pride (@PackPride) March 24, 2024
Despite looking every bit as large as his son, the elder Burns sounded like a satisfied gentle giant in the clip. Burns Sr. was seen taking photos of his son as the latter gave his postgame interview.
Mr. Burns wasn’t the only one beaming with pride about DJ’s performance. NC State coach Kevin Keatts also shared a nice moment with the younger Burns after the win.
This moment between Kevin Keatts and DJ Burns, y’all. No words. pic.twitter.com/aasbJ4JmlO
— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) March 24, 2024
Keatts has plenty of reasons to be grateful for Burns, who led NC State to a stunning ACC Tournament win. The Wolfpack coach earned some pretty lucrative incentives after winning the conference championship.
