Risco's Nathan Burnett signs to play basketball at College of the Ozarks

PROVIDED PHOTO
Risco senior guard Nathan Burnett signed to play basketball at College of the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri, Thursday. Pictured at the signing front row left to right are father Danny Burnett, Nathan Burnett, and mother Sheila Burnett; pictured back row left to right are Risco coach Brandon Blankenship and College of the Ozarks coach Steve Shepherd.

The all-time leading scorer of the Risco Tigers boys basketball program has made the decision to take his game to the collegiate level.

Risco senior guard Nathan Burnett signed to play basketball at College of the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri, Thursday.

“I toured there last summer with one of my classmates and met the coach there,” Burnett said. “Then I went to their tryout and they got back with me with good news.”

College of the Ozarks provides the opportunity for full-time students to work at one of more than 100 campus jobs or industries to help pay for part of their cost of education. The remaining portion of the students’ expenses is covered through scholarships provided by gifts and contributions from donors who believe in and support the programs and policies of the college.

Burnett said the fact College of the Ozarks operates as a no-tuition college is what triggered his interest in attending the school.

“The cost was a big factor,” he said. “I wanted to be able to go to college debt free. It’s also a good college in a good environment.”

Burnett averaged 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals per game his senior season. He scored 2,109 points during his varsity career at Risco.

“You just cannot say enough about him,” Risco coach Brandon Blankenship said. “I’ve never coached a player that impacted the game as much as he does with his scoring, passing, rebounding, and defense. He is a factor in all phases of the game. He has the highest basketball IQ of anyone I’ve coached.

“We are super proud of him,” Blankenship added. “His family has strong ties to the school. His mom is a secretary and keeps our scorebooks for us. His dad was my assistant coach years ago and his aunt is our high school principal. We’ve had the opportunity to watch him grow up. It’s great to see someone who has worked as hard as he has and loves the game as much as him be able to achieve his goals.”

Burnett said his most memorable basketball moment at Risco was hitting the game-winning shot to beat Scott County Central in the Class 1, District 1 championship at Gideon his senior season.

“The district championship shot definitely stands out,” Burnett said. “It finally got us past Scott County Central, won the district, and I passed Daniel Presley as the all-time leading scorer at Risco with the shot. To do all three at the same time was pretty crazy.”

College of the Ozarks is a fully accredited four-year Christian liberal arts college. It is an NAIA school that competes in the Association of Independent Institutions in basketball.

Its men's basketball coach is Steve Shepherd. College of the Ozarks has won a national title, made three Fab Four appearances, and won three conference tournament titles during Shepherd’s 16 years as head coach.

“They’ve had a lot of winning records lately,” Burnett said.

Burnett said he plans on majoring in physical education.

“I’d like to thank everyone that helped me get on at College of the Ozarks and all of our fans that supported me the last four years,” he said.