A Resurgent Recovery: Murphy Burnatowski’s Return to Professional Basketball
It was two years ago in Indonesia when the future of Murphy Burnatowski’s basketball career hung in the balance. The toll professional basketball took on the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter's body had caught up with him.
Burnatowski was playing for the BBM CLS Knights in Indonesia in 2020 when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put the world of professional sports on hold. Time away from basketball allowed Burnatowski to focus on his nagging left knee injury.
The pandemic provided Burnatowski with the opportunity to rest his left knee, which had troubled him throughout his career. After consulting doctors, Burnatowksi underwent surgery in April of 2021. Nearly two years later, at the age of 30, Burnatowski made his triumphant return to professional basketball when he suited up for the Edmonton Stingers at the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA).
Doubt surrounded the Kitchener native's career before and after his surgery. Months later, upon receiving clearance from doctors, Burnatowski put on a Stingers jersey and stepped onto the hardwood once again when the Stingers took on Real Estelí on Dec. 13, 2021. Burnatowski scored the Stinger’s first-ever points at the BCLA with a pure three-pointer from the wing – a shot he has made countless times throughout his career.
Burnatowski scored 15 points in his return, knocking down three-of-five three-point attempts.
"It's been a long road to recovery over the last couple of years and I've been unsure if I was going to play again," Burnatowski said.
It was a storybook return as the Stingers defeated Real Estelí 84-81. Soon to be teammates Alex Campbell and Malcolm Duvivier joined Burnatowski on the roster for group phases two and three of the BCLA round-robin
Burnatowski's rehab focused solely on strength and conditioning – basketball was not the focus.
"It was honestly almost 100 percent strength and conditioning once I got the surgery. The first six months were just purely in the weight room. I don't even think I touched a basketball for the most part. I'm probably in the best shape of my life because of it," Burnatowski said.
Despite being 20 months removed from playing professional basketball, Burnatowski discovered a new passion – coaching. The forward joined the Dalhousie Tigers men’s basketball program as an assistant coach. With time away from playing the game, Burnatowski credits the transition from player to coach as a key reason for helping him see the game differently. Recently announced as the newest member of the Bandits, the veteran forward, can see himself as a contributing voice in the locker room in support of new head coach Mike Taylor.
"Mike has coached at some high levels. I know the type of coach he's going to be and a lot of times the power forward position can be an extension, just like a point guard can," Burnatowski said.
Taylor will be tasked with taking a Bandits team that is expected to feature some new faces on its roster, as well as returning cast members like Campbell and Duvivier and making the group mesh into a cohesive core ahead of Fraser Valley’s first game on May 25 against Ottawa.
Taylor believes that the veteran presence of Burnatowski can assist his staff with helping the group learn on the fly once training camp opens in mid-May.
"He's a guy that makes his teammates better out there on the court and he reads the game extremely well. If you talk about a guy that can impact the game from the frontcourt, I think Murphy is that,” Taylor said. “He'll hit threes, rebound and he'll post up. But more importantly, is his decision-making. On every possession, you trust him with the ball.”
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