Not Wasting His Efforts Brush With Death Inspires Ferris Guard Bursch To Do Best
Justin Bursch knows exactly when and why he became a better basketball player, and it has nothing to do with basketball.
The Ferris point guard came perilously close to dying in a poisonous mine last June the experience changed his life.
“When I almost died, I realized the things that are important to me,” the 5-foot-11 junior said. “I want to be a success, I don’t want to be part of the background, part of the crowd. I want to be someone kids can look up to.”
That inspired Bursch to work harder to succeed as the Saxons’ quarterback in football and point guard in basketball on a team with four senior starters.
Bursch’s efforts paid off, particularly in basketball. The Saxons won the Greater Spokane League regular-season title with a 14-2 record. They have clinched a spot in next week’s regional tournament with the Big Nine and play Lewis and Clark in the Arena at 9 tonight in the district tournament.
“I wasn’t particularly nervous about it because in the summer Justin had done an excellent job,” said Ferris basketball coach Wayne Gilman, of turning over the reins of the offense to a junior. “He has met all of my expectations. We don’t necessarily expect the point guard to score a lot and he could score. He’s distributing the ball and handling the pressure, that’s a pretty big job itself.”
But nothing compared to just surviving.
Bursch, teammate Justin Weatherred and two other friends planned to explore an abandoned Lake Pend Oreille mine last summer. When they arrived, they offered to help look for two other explorers who were late coming out of the mine.
The four boys went into the mine twice, and, outside of a slightly funny smell, didn’t realize why they were getting ill. On Bursch’s third trip inside, he noticed a sick rat and gave up the search.
It wasn’t until later they found out that, 5 more minutes in the mine, and they probably would have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. They were also within 30 yards of the bodies of the two men who died in the mine.
“I would say he has been more aggressive and he has stepped up to a leadership role in both football and basketball,” Gilman said. “That may well be part of the reason. I know that he recognizes how lucky they were and there must have been a guardian angel somewhere around.
“You get so much change from year to year, I couldn’t say what caused it or if it’s maturation, but it definitely did occur.”
Bursch has stepped up, leading Ferris to an 18-2 record and No. 2 state ranking. That came after he passed for a GSL-high 1,711 yards, fifth all-time for a single season.
“(The near-accident) helped with football,” he said. “I really worked hard and it carried into basketball. I wasn’t afraid of being who I am. I wasn’t afraid of trying my best at whatever I do. I took too much stuff for granted. I want to make sure everything counts.”
With the Ferris record and history, there are high expectations for Bursch and his teammates to succeed, but he has no problem handling that.
Bursch prefers basketball but is looking at football from a different perspective, one that indicates that is where his future may be.
“I think I like basketball best but football seems to come naturally for me,” he said. “I like point guard and quarterback because in both you do what you can to make the team successful.
“Basketball is a little different than football. In basketball you can make a couple of mistakes. In football, you make a mistake and it really messes (the team) up. Basketball is a little easier that way, but harder because we’re supposed to be successful.”
But it’s nothing Bursch can’t handle. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo
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