Burton the ultimate Lancer for hoops teams

<p><strong>T</strong>he young man charging out of the tunnel of Edinburgh’s gymnasium before girls and boys varsity basketball games never has an off day.</p><p>It’s tradition for Bobby Burton to lead Lancer players out onto the court for pregame warmups. The players might jog, but Burton knows one speed — as fast as possible.</p><p>Burton, 21, was born with Down syndrome. The sight of him running onto the floor has been as much a staple of Edinburgh hoops as the school colors since his freshman year at the school (2013-14).</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>“I think it’s very important he leads the team out every game. It shows that not everybody gets the same chances we do,” said Bryce Burton, a senior point guard for the boys squad. “He’s an inspiration to us. Everybody loves Bobby. He’s a big part of everybody’s lives.”</p><p>Burton is so well thought of that he had an award named after him while still attending Edinburgh.</p><p>The Bobby T. Burton Character Award is presented to the senior best exemplifying positive attitude while always supporting his or her classmates no matter the endeavor. The award first went to — who else? — Bobby Burton (in 2017), who, frankly, set the bar intimidatingly high for those who follow.</p><p>“Bobby never has a bad day. He brings energy every day,” said Drew Glentzer, who coached the Edinburgh boys for seven seasons before taking the job at Indian Creek in 2017. “Bobby has a big personality, and he’s all about Edinburgh sports.”</p><p>Glentzer gave Burton the moniker “Big Shot Bobby Burton.” On the court and off, in the Edinburgh hallways or around town, never has a more accurate nickname been given.</p><p>By high school, Burton’s popularity led to him being named Edinburgh’s prom king as a junior and homecoming king as a senior. During the 2016 football season, then-coach Derrick Ball arranged with an opposing coach to let Bobby, dressed in football gear, run the ball approximately 20 yards for a touchdown before the start of the third quarter.</p><p>Once in the end zone, players from both teams congratulated him.</p><p>During Burton’s freshman year, the Lancer boys began announcing him as the team’s sixth man before home games.</p><p>“He’s a crowd pleaser,” Glentzer said. “And Bobby plays to it.”</p><p>Burton is in his third season as a manager for Edinburgh’s girls basketball program. Before games, he’ll shake hands with game officials, introduce himself as “coach Bobby” and hand over the card naming Edinburgh’s starters.</p><p>Lancer girls players see Burton in the hallway at school and call him coach. They good-naturedly hear about it if they don’t.</p><p>Amy Macy-Schilling, Edinburgh’s girls coach, works daily with 12 special needs students ranging in age from 12 to 21 (Bobby Burton). The class, entitled Essential Skills, includes students born with conditions ranging from autism to genetic seizure disorder to Down syndrome.</p><p>Special needs students can be at Edinburgh until age 22, so Burton will likely be around for the 2019-20 school year as well, doing his part to make fellow students smile and leading the school’s basketball teams onto the floor.</p><p>Macy-Schilling has worked with Burton almost daily the past three years, and she appreciates the hard work he pours into her basketball program.</p><p>“I started teaching here three years ago, and Bobby was in my classroom,” Macy-Schilling said. “(Basketball) was just another way for me to extend the classroom. I knew he loved sports, and I worked it out with his parents that he could be kind of an assistant coach.</p><p>“It was just a way for him to be involved with the girls. He’s a tough one. He makes them run five laps all the time. Sometimes he even likes to coach me. Even in the most serious and intense times, you have Bobby over there still cheering. Still getting excited.”</p><p>Burton relishes every second of passing out water bottles, picking up towels and putting ball racks on the court for warmups when the girls play. He’s sometimes included in practice scrimmages, though Burton’s shot attempts are almost always baseline 3-pointers.</p><p>Occasionally, Burton will chuck an air ball. No matter. Make or miss, his smile is nothing but net.</p><p>Being part of Bobby Burton’s world is something not enough people get a chance to experience. His speech can be difficult to understand, but Burton’s upbeat persona makes him extremely popular in this town of approximately 4,500 residents.</p><p>About Macy-Schilling, Burton points to her, smiles and says, “That’s my girl.” About Edinburgh boys coach Keith Witty, he smiles and says, “That’s my boy.” He says the same when Bryce Burton’s name is mentioned.</p><p>Bobby knows everyone, and, yes, everyone knows Bobby.</p><p>“He’s a fixture in the community. He works at the Jay C (grocery) store, and knows everybody that comes through the line,” Macy-Schilling said. “The thing with Bobby is he’s always smiling. Everybody’s his friend, and he makes you take a whole different perspective on things.”</p><p>Talking about Burton, the coach begins to choke up. Macy-Schilling can’t picture coach Bobby not being a part of the Lancer girls basketball program as long as she’s there.</p><p>“He’s just a special young man. He loves everybody. He wants everybody to smile. If somebody’s upset, he’s upset. It just shows the amount of caring he has,” Macy-Schilling said. “Even when we play other teams, he puts a smile on the other coaches’ faces. The officials. Everybody.</p><p>“For our girls, it teaches us how to work with all individuals. How to be caring and compassionate, and then he teaches us how to smile and not take things so seriously. It’s a definite life lesson. He adds a great thing to our team.”</p><p>The coach points to the Lancers’ 61-38 loss at Waldron late in the regular season in what was one of her team’s worst shooting performances of the season.</p><p>“He said, ‘Game’s over. North Decatur. What time’s the bus leave?’” Macy-Schilling said. “And he’s right. We have to focus on the next one.”</p>