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It was a when not an if before  LaFayette senior guard Tae Burton chose which college he would continue his basketball career.

After originally committing to Snead State, Burton flipped his commitment to Shelton State. He  will be a Buccaneer in the 2020-21 season.

Burton was one of the biggest driving factors the Bulldogs were able to reach the 2A state semifinal game. He was the scoring catalyst for the Bulldogs, as he averaged a team-high 19.1 points a game. That is up from the 12 points a game he averaged a season ago.

The jump in his average wasn’t anything to do with his ability to shoot, he’s always had that. He  was able to strengthen his entire body during the offseason starting the day after the Bulldog’s last 2018-19 game.

“His senior year he had confidence that was oozing out of him because of the work that he had done in the offseason,” LaFayette boys head basketball coach Obadiah Threadgill said.

Burton also averaged 4.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 steals a game. His play earned him a spot on the Alabama Sports Writers Association 2A First-Team.

Burton showed up time and time again for the Bulldogs this past season. In every single big game the Bulldogs played, they could rely on Burton to create offense. In both games against Lanett, Burton scored at least 30 points. Against Fyfe in the 2A Northeast Regional game, Burton scored 24 of the Bulldogs’ 67 points. After a slow start against Sacred Heart in the 2A Northeast Regional Championship, Burton scored 18 points, avenging the Bulldogs’ loss from 2019.

“That’s something that we tried to instill in those guys is to not shrink from the moment,” Threadgill said. “Why would you shrink from the moment? You would have to be scared of failure. Tae isn’t scared of failure.”

Burton is the third member of the LaFayette 2020 graduating class to commit to playing at the next level. Jordan Wallace committed to play football for UT Chattanooga in February, while Corey Boston committed to play basketball at Snead State.

Boston and Burton will have a chance to face off next season as Snead State and Shelton State are in the same conference.

“It’s going to be exciting,” Threadgill said. “I’m definitely going to be in the stands whenever they play each other if they’re close to me. I’m going to support both of them. It’s going to be fun to watch the teams match up. To watch two guys come from our program and chase their dreams, to position themselves get to a four-year school, it’s going to be fun. I’m proud of both of those guys.”