Siena Secures Notre Dame Transfer, La Salle Grad Elijah Burns

The rumor mill was working overtime after Notre Dame announced last week that senior forward and tri-captain Elijah Burns was leaving the Fighting Irish basketball program immediately. Burns is on track to graduate in December and with word that he might like to return to the Capital Region for his grad transfer season, Siena and UAlbany fans started to dream about how the 6'9" talent could help their team.

On Saturday afternoon, as Siena tipped off at home against Colgate, the rumors were confirmed and put to rest all at once. Burns tweeted an image of himself in a Siena jersey with the message "Troy boy through and through. I'm coming home!"

It sure hasn't taken Siena head coach Jamion Christian long to establish strong Albany City Rocks ties and it pays off with the transfer of Burns, who had upped his minutes and production with Notre Dame this season. In four games this season, Burns was averaging 11.3 minutes, 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game for Mike Brey.

The interesting wrinkle to Burns' transfer status is that he'll be eligible to play for Siena as soon as he graduates from Notre Dame. So, we could see him in action for the Saints as the MAAC schedule really heats up.