Nimari Burnett helps guide Michigan to Final Four back home in Chicago

CHICAGO — Nimari Burnett is no stranger to winning in Illinois.

Long before he began his collegiate career, Burnett played his freshman season at Morgan Park High School — just 20 miles South of the United Center, where Michigan played Tennessee in the Elite Eight on Sunday — where he led the Mustangs to a Class 3A state title in 2017.

Nearly a decade later, Burnett scored 10 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists, finishing with plus-25 when he was on the court for the No. 1-seeded Wolverines in a 95-62 trashing of No. 6 Tennessee on Sunday, March 29.

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With the win, the Wolverines are back in the Final Four with a matchup against fellow No. 1 seed Arizona on Saturday, April 4, in Indianapolis.

“I don't think this stage — it doesn't get any better than this stage,” the 24-year-old guard said following the win.

Burnett’s understanding comes as he won in front of family and someone who claimed to be his first basketball coach, on Sunday.

He won in the arena where he grew up watching Bulls games, watching another star guard put his mark on the NBA and leading the Chicago Bulls back to relevance. Now Burnett has helped guide the Wolverines' return to the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the first time since 2018.

“To be playing in the United Center — I remember growing up as a kid and dreaming about playing on a high level,” Burnett said ahead of the Elite Eight matchup. “Being here, watching Derrick Rose when I was growing up was always amazing."

At Morgan Park, Burnett was called a “future NBA star” by his head coach, Nick Irvin. This was after he led the Mustangs to a furious comeback win on Feb. 18, 2017, draining three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as a freshman in a clutch moment to advance to the state championship game.

He then scored 24 points to lead Morgan Park in the 69-67 state championship win over Fenwick, with then-teammate and current NBA player Ayo Dosunmu out with an injury. He knocked down six 3-pointers in the victory.

A state championship in high school or a Midwest Regional trophy, which one has more importance to Burnett?

“No offense to Morgan Park and that time as a state champion, but I'm going to have to put this one No. 1,” Burnett said on Sunday. “But also understanding that those moments have led me to this exact moment and understanding what it takes to win, and so I cherish that moment when I was younger and helping the team win and doing it on a big stage.”

Following his freshman season, Burnett transferred to Prolific Prep for the rest of his high school career. After being ranked as the No. 34 overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle, he committed to Texas Tech, spending a season with the Red Raiders and then one with Alabama.

He has been with Michigan since 2022 and was part of an 8-win team in 2023-24. And now he’s just two wins away from bringing the Wolverines their first championship since 1989.

Burnett is averaging 8.2 points and 2.6 assists per game for the Wolverines this season, starting all 38 contests for the program. He has started 107 games with Michigan, with the last two under May, serving as a bridge in the rebuild.

“Nimari is a stabilizer,” May said on Saturday of one of the few holdovers from the team he inherited in 2024. Every day, he's the exact same person emotionally and physically. His pre-practice routine is 10 out of 10.”

Burnett’s goal of winning the first time at the United Center fell through when the Wolverines lost in the Big Ten Championship game to Purdue on March 15.

Just two weeks later, he was celebrating with another trophy in his home city, cutting down nets he did not expect to.

“Our mindset was to cut two more nets after the Big Ten championship, the regular season, and I didn't know that you could cut nets for the Final Four,” Burnett said with a laugh. “Basically, we still have two more and then we've got the National Championship to go.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nimari Burnett, Michigan advance to Final Four in front of family in Chicago