Show Sports thoughts When Luther Tacky Ticky Burden Durden left leCt after his third year at the University of Utah to enter professional basketball this year as a member of the Virginia Squires many people figured that Burden Durden would have havea a tough laugh time adjusting to professional ball While at the University of Utah Burden Durden usually shot the lights out of the Special Event Center with his dazzling scoring of 20 30 or 40 points a game With Burden leaving Utah for the pros many fans figured that the experienced ex ex- ex professionals of the ABA would be able to stop Burdens Burden's fireworks However Burden is still shooting basketballs through the hoop at ata a terrific rate Burden didn't have to adjust to the pros the ABA pros had to adjust to Burden IN TWO games against the deceased San Diego Sails Burden blazed the nets with 42 and ind 40 point totals In describing the defense used by San Diego on on Burden one of the Virginia Squire players said Kevin Joyce kind of guarded him Burden has been near the top of the ABA standings in the early part of the season with an average of 24 points a game Julius Erving of New York has been leading the league with a 30 point average Billy Knight of Indiana has been in second place with a 28 average Ron Boone formerly a member of the folded Utah Stars and now nowa a player for the Spirits of St. St Louis has been averaging about 25 points a game for third place TICKY BURDEN has been scoring well against many teams in the ABA He scored 20 points against the returning ABA champions the Kentucky Colonels on November 11 Burden scored 27 points against a fine Cine San Antonio team teamon on November 12 In another game against San Antonio on November 13 Burden ripped the nets for 20 points J. J w J j r f SO LUTHER Ticky aur Burden n transfers his scoring bomb show from the University of Ut Utah h to the ABAs ABA's Virginia Squires at the University of Utah Burden burned the nets often at t the Special Events Center In the 75 1974 Utah Classic Burden ripped the nets for 27 points as Utah stomped Army to 82 the first night nigh to advance advance advance ad ad- vance to the finals against West Virginia which defeated Weber 82 to 80 60 TilE THE NEXT night Burden blazed the basketball court with witha with witha a 38 point performance against the West Virginia team to lead the University of Utah to a 90 to 70 win and first place honors in inthe inthe inthe the Utah Classic Burden was always the type of Hof player who played an exciting exciting exciting ex ex- ex- ex citing game from Crom the start to the end of the the- contest In one game of the 74 1973 season Burden fired the winning shot through the basket with about 3 seconds left in the game to defeat highly ranked Purdue on the Utah home floor noor TICKY BURDEN continued his dazzling performance when the University of Utah entered the National Invitational Tournament in the 74 1973 season The Utes surprised everyone by taking second place in the NIT behind the scoring of Mike Sojourner now playing for Cor the Atlanta Hawks Tyrone Medley and Luther Ticky Burden Sojourner also shocked the crowd with his super rebounding performance The University of Utah defeated Rutgers the tho first day The second day Utah dashed Memphis State for a victory Boston College was torpedoed by Utah bombs during the third day of action This win sent Utah against Purdue a team which Utah had nipped at the buzzer for a win on January 1 of 1974 The Purdue team never forgot the loss loos and after a close first half pulled the rug out from under Burden Durden and the other Utah players to win the NIT HOWEVER TilE THE college days are over for Luther Ticky Burden Durden but his firing the basketball through the hoop just like he did at Utah is still going on eer Juan Marichal former pit pit- hr for the San Francisco Giants and the Boston Red ned Sox had four our straight s seasons of IC 20 wins In 1963 he was 25 and 8 8 U. 1 lie le was 21 1 and 8 a in 1964 In 1965 he was 22 2 and 13 J He lie was 2 25 and 6 in J |