The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

National team player Jaraun ‘Keno’ Burrows’ decision to go to Finland to continue his professional career is paying off big dividends.

For the second time this month, Burrows has been selected as the Player of the Week by Eurobasket.com. The 28-year-old power forward had a double-double of 35 points and 14 rebounds, while his team, Tapiolan Honka, crushed LrNMKY by a 25-point margin 93-68 as they rebounded from a 100-91 defeat at the hands of Namika Lahti on January 18.

Tapiolan Honka is currently seventh in the Finnish Korisliiga League with an 11-12 win-loss record. LrNMKY, ranked at #9, dropped to 6-17. “It’s been a good experience,” said Burrows, who has been a member of the team since September 3. “It’s a tougher league, so it’s a good situation to be in. I feel that my game has improved tremendously and I’m just happy that I’m able to come in here and make a contribution.”

“A lot of the leagues that I played in were not like this one. We have a lot of players who played in the NBA (National Basketball Association) and the D-League, who are now playing in this league. So for me to come through as the Player of the Week for the second time this month is a major accomplishment for me.”

In the 2008-09 season, Tapiolan Honka won the Finnish League, but they encountered some financial problems that saw them drop down to the second league. They have subsequently worked their way back up the ladder and are now back in the A league. They were not projected to make the playoffs when the season started, but Burrows’ presence has now made them a legitimate contender.

The regular season will come to a close on April 16 and Tapiolan Honka has to finish in the top eight in order to secure a berth in the postseason. The way they are playing, Burrows is confident that they will have a remarkable showing for the rest of the year as they turn things around.

“I just want to continue doing what I’ve been doing to try to get us into the playoffs,” Burrows said. “Once we get in, anything could happen. We have a very good team and what I like about it is we have some very good shooters on this team. But if I’m scoring like I’ve been doing, we also have a lot of players who can step up and control the boards. We have players who complement each other.”

Burrows, a graduate of Indiana Univ-Purdue University-Ft Wayne has been holding down his own for Tapiolan Honka. He is in the league’s top five in points (5th best of 18.1 points per game) and rebounds (3rd best with 9.4 rpg), while averaging 1.4 blocks and shooting 61.8% from the field.

“It’s been a pretty good season so far,” Burrows said. “But I’m looking forward to us doing a lot better as the season progresses. We still have a long way to go because our goal is to get into the playoffs and subsequently contest for a shot at the championship title.”

Burrows and his Tapiolan Honka are scheduled to be back in action on Saturday when they face Lapua, who is 11th at 5-17. Their next game after that is slated for Saturday, February 1 against the 8th ranked Salon Vipas, who are 8-16.