Air Force Academy – From experience, Jacob Burtschi knows he will receive a special greeting when the Air Force men’s basketball team plays New Mexico in Albuquerque next month.
“I don’t know his name. They call him ‘Worm,”‘ Burtschi said of the Lobos fan known to torment the Falcons. “If I miss a shot in warm-ups, he’ll tell me that’s how the game is going to go.”
A 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior forward equally adept banging under the basket and shooting 3- pointers, Burtschi is making his final tour of the Mountain West Conference. Fans have come to view him as the face synonymous with the revival of AFA basketball. He has a game that agitates opposing fans. And, the knee-high black socks he wears for road games make him an easy target.
At game’s end, though, his name usually is all over the stat sheet.
“Jake fills up the box score,” Air Force coach Jeff Bzdelik said. “He makes drives, he makes post-ups, he gets offensive rebounds, he gets free throws, he makes 3s, he passes the ball well. Something’s going to happen when he’s out there, and it’s usually good for us.”
He leads 16th-ranked Air Force (19-2, 6-1 MWC) in rebounds (5.6 per game) and is second in scoring (14.3) and steals (28 total). He is shooting 52.2 percent from the field.
While his style might agitate, it also draws respect. Even “Worm” tells Burtschi how much he likes him, after the game.
“If I get booed, I know I’m doing something right,” Burtschi said. “I shouldn’t, but sometimes I interact with the crowd. There will be some tough language coming from some of the student sections, but it’s part of the game. If you can’t handle that stuff, you shouldn’t be playing.”
When Burtschi chose Air Force out of Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, he knew he would get a quality education but had no idea the Falcons would develop into an MWC power and be gunning for the third NCAA Tournament appearance of his career.
“All that’s happened makes me aware of how lucky I am to be in a program like this,” he said. “My first game, I think we had 200 fans. I thought that had to change. It was an amazing experience being part of a big turnaround.”
Burtschi’s first recruiting visit was to Air Force. He soon canceled all other scheduled trips.
“I knew Air Force was among the top five academic schools in the country, and I wanted to go somewhere I could play right away,” he said.
Burtschi credits former AFA coach coach Joe Scott, who recruited him and installed the Princeton offense that became the Falcons’ trademark, for the program’s turnaround.
“It showed that if you get the right people in the right system at the right time, you can do a lot of damage,” he said.
Burtschi has watched seniors lead the way before. Now it’s his turn, and he’s doing it the only way he knows how, by getting floor burns. He cherishes the AFA career steals record he holds with 169 because steals show effort and hustle.
He came by his love for the game naturally.
“Anytime you’re in a basketball family, you do what the family does,” said his father, A.D. Burtschi, who coached his son in high school. “He may have been playing with a basketball before he was 2 years old.”
Dad got used to his son’s aggressive style in high school, but it took time.
“Sometimes you want to wring his neck because of the decision he makes on the floor,” he said. “But he’ll make plays at both ends of the floor that will influence the outcome of a game. He plays with high competitive spirit. He’s very passionate about his game.”
As for his road uniform of knee-high black socks, that trademark was born of super- stition.
“I put on a pair one day for practice and I had a good day,” Burtschi said. “My teammates got a laugh, and I know people on the road are wondering who’s the guy out there with the high socks.”
AFA senior guard Matt McCraw picked up the line.
“At first we thought he had the socks to put with the tuxedo, but he didn’t have the tuxedo,” McCraw said.
Away from the court, Burt- schi is preparing to go into space and missile training after graduating from the academy. He admits to being an animal lover and frequently torments his teammates by switching the locker room television to Animal Planet.
“I’d go to the zoo every day if I could,” Burtschi said. “Some day I think I might work with animals. I’d like to help animals in some way.”
Right now, he will settle for helping the Falcons.
Burtschi’s breakdown
Air Force senior forward Jacob Burtschi has been a key figure in the Falcons’ ascent into the top 25:
FRESHMAN
Played in all 29 games, averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds for a NCAA Tournament team that was 22-7.
SOPHOMORE
Started all 30 games, led 18-12 team in rebounding (4.3) and steals (49), ranked fourth in scoring (8.0).
JUNIOR
Started all 31 games in 24-7 season, led NCAA Tournament team in rebounding (6.1) and was second in scoring (12.4), set school season record with 71 steals.
SENIOR
Has started all 21 games in 19-2 season, leads Falcons in rebounding (5.6) and ranks second in scoring (14.3), set and continues to build on the school’s career record for steals, now with 169.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
