After the first full season of basketball amidst the pandemic, NIU’s new men’s basketball coach is reflecting on a year like no other.
Rashon Burno is the new head coach for NIU’s men’s basketball team. He says that he felt overwhelmed during the last season amidst the pandemic.
“Daily testing, and getting kids up at seven o'clock for six months in a row, in order to be able to practice the next the same day takes a toll mentally and physically on your kids. So all that stuff has played a part into last year.”
Burno says the health and safety of student-athletes is the top priority. But, he adds, as more people are vaccinated, the pace of NIU athletics will pick up.
NIU announced back in March that Burno would be taking over as the university’s new men's basketball head coach. He had previously spent the last six seasons with Arizona State University as the Associate Head Coach.
In all Burno is optimistic and said, “I am looking forward to our team returning in June and preparing for the upcoming season.”