Coach Kevin Keatts’ Wish for NCAA Star DJ Burns Jr Might Get Fulfilled Courtesy of Mayor of Raleigh: “We Are Going to Organize It”

Hardly anyone would deny that NC State’s run was the Cinderella story in this year’s March Madness. Be it the men’s or the women’s basketball team, the entertainment and thrill that this program managed to provide is unprecedented. Consequently, a celebration was due for the people of Raleigh.

So, it didn’t take long for Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin to declare Monday, April 15 NC State University Men’s and Women’s Basketball Day.

However, this was not the only interesting turn of events from the Bell Tower. Seemingly, Mary-Ann Baldwin also had an attention-grabbing announcement for the men’s Wolfpack wonder kid DJ Burns.

While addressing the crowd, the Mayor of Raleigh addressed one of the prophecies of head coach Kevin Keatts concerning the 6 ft 9 in power forward. A while ago he told Burns that he would be the Mayor of Raleigh one day. Adding on to it, Mary-Ann Baldwin said, “I have an official request today. I’m going to have DJ be the Mayor of the day. One of these days, we’re going to organize it.” This declaration delighted the people present there as it was met with a huge cheer.

The statement from Keatts came after Burns’ match-winning performance against the Blue Devils in the Elite Eight. Overjoyed by his exhibition the NC State boss said in an interview, “I think he will be the Mayor of Raleigh one day. But now he’s trying to figure out if he can be the president of the United States the way he’s playing, the way he’s on this big stage carrying himself.”

Such was the impact of DJ Burns as he was instrumental in the Wolfpacks’ turnaround after the regular season.

DJ Burns swinging the tides in NC State’s favor

After losing seven out of the last nine games by the end of its regular season, no one counted on them to end up being the South regional champions. It was indeed the showing up of their 23-year-old forward that helped them secure 9 wins on the trot. This also includes a first ACC championship win after 1987 when they took down North Carolina in the Finals. Following this, an impeccable 18.3 points, 3.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game average from Burns in the March Madness made the way for the Wolfpacks to reach the Final Four after 40 years.

A magical run from a magical player. Clearly, his contributions played a vital hand in making the season historic for NC State. Therefore, the gesture from the mayor seems fitting for the 2024 ACC tournament MVP.

What are your thoughts on DJ Burns being appointed Mayor for the day?