| Bob
Burton
Scout.com Headlines: |
Titans Stage Frantic Rally
44-12 Surge Overcomes Early 25-3 Deficit
-by TitanCentral.com
Nov 25, 2009 |
Captain Kirk’s Titan Sports Report...
... and Bedtime Stories
-by TitanCentral.com
Nov 18, 2009 |
AFP: Cal State Fullerton Beats UCLA!
A Fan's Perspective: Senior Aaron Thompson scored a career-high 22 points
-by TitanCentral.com
Nov 17, 2009 |
Blue Basketball Teams Dominate White Squads
Streeter Dazzles in Scrimmage
-by TitanCentral.com
Oct 25, 2009 |
Hoops Practice Begins Today
Blue/White Scrimmage is first public viewing
-by TitanCentral.com
Oct 16, 2009 |
Titan Notes 
Some notes on the men's basketball and baseball programs
-by TitanCentral.com
Sep 20, 2009 |
Basketball Roster taking Shape
15 players are currrently on the 2009-10 team
-by TitanCentral.com
May 6, 2009 |
Photo Gallery: Titans vs. UC Riverside
Photographer Bryan Crowe captures the action against UC Riverside
-by TitanCentral.com
Feb 2, 2009 |
Photo Gallery: Titans vs. UC Davis
Photographer Bryan Crowe captures the action against UC Davis
-by TitanCentral.com
Jan 20, 2009 |
Photo Gallery: Home Game vs. Bakersfield
Photographer Bryan Crowe captures the action
-by TitanCentral.com
Dec 14, 2008 |
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| Biography: |
In just four years, Bob Burton has resurrected the Cal State Fullerton men's basketball program. The Titans have posted three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in two decades and this past season they won 20 games for only the fifth time ever and second in the last three years. Burton's CSF record is 68-51 including 57-34 over the last three seasons.
The fact that last year's 20-10 record and tie for second place in the Big West Conference were deemed a disappointment by some -- even Burton said "it should have been better" -- is testimony to the raised level of expectations the veteran community college coach has brought to Titan Gym. Similarly, a 3-game run in the post-season NIT in 2005 fueled unrealistic expectations for the 2005-06 team that went 16-13 despite the loss of three senior forwards from the previous season.
At .571, Burton boasts the second-best winning percentage of any Titans' coach, trailing only Bobby Dye (109-78, .583, in 1973-74 thru 1979-80), whom he had surpassed when the Titans went to 18-5 last year. In the last three seasons, the Titans are 28-25 on the road where they were 30-115 over the previous 10 years. And Burton has done it with an entertaining up-tempo style that has rekindled interest in Titan Gym.
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Mark down Jan. 27, 2005, as the turning point in Burton's Cal State Fullerton coaching career. That's when the direction of a seemingly hexed program was altered 180 degrees.
Until that date, the basketball gods were treating Burton as harshly as they had tortured several predecessors. During an inaugural year (2003-04) littered with misfortune, eight players were lost to a variety of calamities and the count was climbing higher in his second campaign. Projected starting center Lloyd Walls had been ruled out for the year in pre-season drills due to multiple concussions. Inspirational reserve guard Drew Awad had suffered a reoccurrence of cancer. And senior forward Hardy Asprilla had gone down with a season-ending knee injury to mar a lopsided win over Long Beach State that had given the Titans a surprising 8-4 record.
Three consecutive defeats followed and more seemed inevitable as an already short -- in size and numbers -- roster tried to cope. Doubters wondered if the Titans would win another game.
Suddenly, almost miraculously, the sea of adversity parted.
On Jan. 27, a Cal Poly team suffering through an 8-game losing streak visited Titan Gym and Fullerton ventured down a new path. With Yaphett King joining Ralphy Holmes as a pair of 6-foot-3 starting forwards to go with undersized center Jamaal Brown (6-foot-7), the Titans suddenly clicked. An eased up 92-69 victory over the Mustangs triggered what became arguably the second-best season (21-11, 12-6 for a third-place tie) in Titans' history.
When the dust had settled after a 13-4 run to the wire, climaxed by a 2-1 road effort in the post-season NIT, Burton got an extended and improved contract through 2009-10.
Changes? An entire generation had been conceived since the last upbeat post-season banquet. Expectations were elevated dramatically. Scheduling suddenly became tougher as potential opponents held the Titans in higher regard. Four-year transfers continued to come home by embracing Titan Gym.
"Those guys thought they were playing fast," says Burton. "But I want to run even |
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