Hall of Fame
The legacy that Bobby Burries bestowed upon the Coyote men’s basketball program is immeasurable.
When you consider the San Bernardino native led his teams to three straight California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season titles, three NCAA West Region title appearances, its second appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight in a four-year span and All-American honors in each of his three years, well, that legacy isn’t soon forgotten.
Burries began his college career at nearby San Bernardino Valley Junior College and when he stepped onto the CSUSB campus in the fall of 2000, a winning basketball program reached another level.
As a sophomore, Burries quickly made his mark in the CCAA, and was named its Most Valuable Player for the 2000-01 season and became the first Coyote player to earn Division II All-American honors. Averaging 14.6 points a game, he led the Coyotes in scoring in 15 of the team’s 28 games as they won their second-straight CCAA title, going 24-4.
As a junior, he led the Coyotes to the NCAA Elite Eight and their best-ever season going 28-2 in 2001-02. He averaged 13.8 points a game, earned All-CCAA first-honors, earned his second and third All-American honors (NABC and Basketball Times) and dominated the CCAA with a 21-1 record. The Coyotes’ only losses were against Cal State Bakersfield and eventual NCAA champion Metro State, which defeated CSUSB in the national quarterfinals in Evansville, Ind.
Not be outdone, Burries arguably played at his best his senior year. He averaged a career-best 20 points a game, picked up another All-CCAA first-team honor, a second conference MVP honor, his fourth All-American honor and helped the Coyotes to a 23-7 record and a then school-best 21-game winning streak including 19 consecutive CCAA games in 2002-03.
Eight years after Burries played his final game of his Coyote career, he still ranks No. 1 in career free throws and single-season field goal attempts and is second in scoring with 1,399 points and 10th in rebounds with 350.
Burries earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and makes his home in San Bernardino.
