NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon has announced that Demarion Burch has signed on to be a member of the Redbird basketball team for the 2026-27 season.
"Demarion is a tremendous addition to our program," said Pedon. "He is a tough, versatile player and he is a young man that has a lot to prove. We love Demarion's game and through his recruiting process, it became very apparent that he really values winning. We believe that with hard work, Demarion can do great things here at Illinois State. He comes to us with real knowledge of what is required to win games in the Missouri Valley Conference, and that matters to us. He also comes to us with a giant chip on his shoulder, which can be very powerful for our program. We are all very excited to welcome Demarion and his circle to our Redbird Basketball family."
A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Burch averaged 8.8 points per game last season, while pulling down 56 rebounds, dished out 25 assists and added 15 steals in 26 games for the Braves last season. He scored a season-high 25 points on the road at Belmont on January 1, where he made 8-of-14 shots from the field and 4-of-8 from long-range. He scored in double-figures 10 times, three times scoring 20+ points, including in back-to-back games against Liberty (21) and Washington State (23). He pulled down a season-high eight rebounds against Liberty and had seven games during the season with at least two assists, including a season-high four at Belmont on January 1.
As a sophomore he scored 157 points in 27 games, starting three times. He made 57 of his 103 shots from the field (55.3%), while converting on 18-of-32 from long range. He scored in double-figures five times, including a season-high 14 against Chattanooga in the NIT Tournament, where he made seven of nine field goal tries. He had seven games with two or more assists, and had 24 total assists on the year, with 11 steals while averaging just under six points per game.
As a freshman in 2023-24, he averaged 4.8 points per game, making 44 percent of his shots from the field and 38 percent from long range. He had five double-figure scoring games, including a season-high 13 against Evansville on January 10, while pulling down six rebounds against Truman State on December 28.
A 2023 graduate of Milwaukee Hamilton High School, Burch averaged 27.3 points per game during his senior season, earning First Team All-State honors, along with future Redbird teammate Johnny Kinziger. A season earlier he averaged 29.7 points during his junior year, while also earning First Team All-State honors, as he and Kinziger were just two of the four non-seniors named to the First Team.
The Redbirds are coming off a 23-13 season in 2025-26, advancing to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament with wins over Kent State, Wake Forest, and Dayton.
