The latest installment of the Nova Notebook highlights the fifth newcomer to Villanova for 2023-24, graduate transfer Tyler Burton.
 
As a Massachusetts native, Tyler Burton knew well the exploits of another native son of the Bay State, Jermaine Samuels, before he ever stepped foot on the Villanova campus. The two had crossed paths from time to time on the basketball circuit and were friendly.
 
Not long after Burton came to Villanova in June following a decorated four-year career at the University of Richmond, the two connected again in the Davis Center. Burton had a question for Samuels, who recently landed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association.
 
"How long," Burton asked, "did it take you to learn Villanova Basketball?"
 
"I'm still learning to this day," replied Samuels, who first came to the Wildcats in 2017.
 
Burton took those words to heart.
 
"That's all it is for me," Burton said. "I just want to come here to be a great Villanova Basketball player. To me, Jermaine encompasses Villanova's values both on and off the court. I've followed his lead. Any questions I have, I hit him with. Not just him, but all the alumni. They come back and they're so helpful and supportive."
 
Burton's credentials are impressive. The 6-7 forward has already scored 1,634 points (11^th all-time on the Spiders' scoring list) at the collegiate level and is one of only three players in Richmond history with 1,500 or more career points and 750 or more career rebounds. Last season, he averaged 19.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per outing as a second team All-Atlantic 10 selection.
 
Noted Wildcats head coach Kyle Neptune when Burton officially joined the 'Cats: "At Villanova we always prioritize developing complete basketball players. Tyler has already proven to be a complete player at the college level and our staff is fired up to work with him to build on what he's already put into place. Tyler is a versatile scorer and excellent rebounder who will fit seamlessly in our lineup."
 
As the son of a former Providence Friar, Quinton Burton (his mom is Lynne), Tyler has been around the game for his whole life. He attended games at the Dunkin Donuts Center as a youth, so he learned early what BIG EAST basketball is about. Yet at one point, in middle school, he spent more of his recreational energy on baseball than he did hoops.
 
"I was a big fan of baseball," he said. "It was probably my favorite sport at the time. I was skipping basketball tournaments to go to baseball tournaments."
 
Burton was a versatile baseball player who started out as a catcher before a growth spurt moved him to the pitching mound and, when wasn't on the hill, the outfield.
 
Finally, Burton decided as a practical matter, basketball needed to take precedence over baseball.
 
"I just kept growing," he said, "and I needed a sport with more action."
 
With his father serving as a guide and mentor – "I definitely wouldn't be where I am without my dad" - Burton began to spread his wings on the court. No longer did he spurn summer basketball opportunities for baseball. He forged a spot for himself on an AAU travel team and enrolled at Marianapolis Prep in Thompson, Conn.
 
By his sophomore year there, he had received his first offer of a Division I scholarship.
 
"Funny enough, it was from Baker Dunleavy," stated Burton of the current general manager of Villanova Basketball who was then early in his tenure as head coach at Connecticut's Quinnipiac University.
 
Ultimately, Richmond edged out Quinnipiac in the battle to land Burton's signature on the National Letter of Intent.
 
"It felt like home," he stated. "I loved Richmond. It's a great campus with great people. I made it my home for four years. I really grew there on and off the court."
 
When it came to the next step, Burton assessed his options, including the possibility of a leap directly to the National Basketball Association draft. But in the end, he elected to became a grad transfer and was quickly drawn to Villanova, seeing in it some of the same qualities he appreciated about his undergraduate campus home.
 
"The people are similar to Richmond – great people, great campus – and the basketball tradition is pretty much unmatched," Burton said. "I was looking for a place with a rich tradition, a chance to be part of a really good team, and a place that fit my values as a person and how I play on the court. Villanova checked all those boxes for me."
 
Burton believes he offers a commodity that has always been valued inside the Davis Center.
 
"I bring a sense of toughness and maturity," he stated. "I can do whatever the team needs me to do to win. I can score, I can play defense, I can rebound. I just go out there to try to help us win."
 
Villanova stocked up in the transfer portal, adding TJ Bamba (Washington State), Hakim Hart (Maryland), and Lance Ware (Kentucky) to its roster for the upcoming campaign. Each brings a level of experience at the college level that should give the 'Cats a significant boost alongside such veteran returnees as Justin Moore, Eric Dixon, Mark Armstrong, Jordan Longino, Brendan Hausen, and Chris Arcidiacono.
 
"The summer has been good," Burton noted. "We've spent a lot of time together as a team off the court, getting to know one other. We've been welcomed with open arms."
 
The transition was aided by some pre-existing relationships. Burton played against Neptune's Fordham Rams as a junior and Ashley Howard's La Salle Explorers for three seasons while at Richmond. Even though he didn't ultimately choose Quinnipiac, he maintains a good relationship with its former head coach.
 
"I had known those guys, they had scouted me, and I knew how their teams liked to play," Burton stated. "We just got off on the right foot and have kind of rolled from there."
 
The Wildcats have mostly returned to their respective hometowns ahead of the start of the fall semester later this month. But a strong foundation was put in place in June and July. Burton figures to be a major part of it in the season ahead.
 
"It was a rough season for us at Richmond (15-18) last year and it wasn't the year they wanted here either," Burton said. "I just want to come here and help us win games."
 
That regular season quest commences in November. Burton, who calls Uxbridge, Mass., home, hopes to add another chapter to New England's recent history of impacting the Wildcats at the forward position.