Flash Burton knows he has a name that, well, flashes. No, he wasn’t named after the superhero, although you would have believed that after watching him snap up MAAC Rookie of the Week for the first time thanks to his play this past weekend. It’s actually a nickname — his government name is Aasim — given to him by a youth basketball coach. “It’s kind of like my real name now,” Burton said. “I don’t really get called any other name but Flash. It came from a city-wide team that I was playing for: South Philly Bulldogs. We used to go around the city and the coach gave everybody nicknames and I was given Flash. I just kept it from there.” Burton had the kind of weekend a Rider freshman hasn’t had since November of 2021. That was the last time the Broncs had a MAAC Rookie of the Week. Burton certainly earned it after two outstanding performances in which he averaged 17.5 points, shot 57.8% from the field and made four of his five 3-point tries. “I just wanted to play hard for my teammates,” Burton said. “That’s really what motivates me every time I step on the court. Just playing with my friends, playing with my brothers. These guys became my brothers the last six months.” Burton’s season has mirrored that of his team. He popped early in the year — 16 points in a win at Navy; 15 in the road loss at Villanova where he more than held his own against the Big East squad — but then hit a wall as the team went into a nine-game tailspin. Now? He looks rejuvenated just as the team has ripped off three straight victories to revive the season. “It kind of switched once we played Niagara,” Burton said. “Once we had that energy from Niagara, I feel like we won’t ever let that energy go.” In victories over Mount St. Mary’s and Marist this past weekend, Burton showed the ability that caught the eye of Rider’s staff when he was starring for Cardinal O’Hara in the famed Philadelphia Catholic League. “He’s growing leaps and bounds,” coach Kevin Baggett said. “The biggest thing for him is I’m able to leave him on the court because he’s able to play defense now. He was struggling early on to do that. We always knew he was a pretty good offensive player and you are starting to see him grow up.” Burton has a smooth pull-up off the dribble and uses his body well to shield off defenders. He even knocked down four three pointers over the two games, which were more than the two he had made in the previous 16 games. “Always trying to get better any way I can,” Burton said. “We went over some film and saw that I wasn’t knocking down 3s. I had to get my feet set. We just kept working from there.” Against Marist had had 17 of his career-best 21 points in the second half, and the biggest sequence in the game was Burton’s steal and dunk — he cranked it back for the flush — followed by a 3-pointer that gave the Broncs a nine-point lead with 1:20 left. “It has to be,” Baggett said when asked about him making 3-pointers as part of his offensive package. “That’s just the nature of the game. Guys were going under him on the ball screens and daring him to shoot.” Rider (7-11, 3-4) has breathed life back into its season after an 0-4 start to league play. It was won three straight, including that victory on Saturday night in which it handed Marist its first conference loss and snapped its nine-game winning streak. “We never gave up,” Burton said. “We said we are going to keep playing, let the coaches keep coaching and we’ll keep playing hard and live with the outcome.” The Broncs are back in the thick of it — places four through 13 are separated by two games — and they are in the middle of a five-way tie for fifth. They host Iona (6-12, 3-4) in a key swing game on Thursday night before a trip to first-place Quinnipiac on Saturday. “We still got a long way to go,” Baggett said. “These guys know it. We’ve lost a lot of close games. I’m glad to see them smiling and enjoying it. That’s what it’s about. We won’t let those guys totally get ahead of themselves. It’s one game at a time.” Rider Gameday WHO: Iona (6-12, 3-4) at Rider (7-11, 3-4) WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m., Alumni Gymnasium TV/ RADIO: ESPN+/ 107.7 The Bronc Retro LAST TIME OUT: Rider def. Marist, 64-57; Iona def. Canisius, 82-61 STREAK: Rider W3; Iona W1 SERIES HISTORY: NCAA NET RANK: Rider 317; Iona 284 KENPOM RANK: Rider 316; Iona 269 SCOUTING IONA: The big story in New Rochelle was second-year coach Tobin Anderson having to replace his entire roster in the offseason. The Gaels have been up and down just like the Broncs. Four of their seven MAAC games have been decided by five points or less so they are no stranger to close games. Senior guard Dejour Reaves, a Northern Colorado transfer, has been largely as advertised. He’s averaging 16.2 points per game and is coming off a 25-point outing last time out against Canisius. Keep an eye on backcourt running mates Adam Njie Jr. and Christian Winborne. Njie Jr. is going to land on the MAAC All-Rookie team as he averages 11.2 points and has a team-high 61 assists. Winborne is a St. Joe’s transfer who is back on the floor after missing the first month and a half with an injury. Anderson teams always press 94 feet and this one ranks third nationally by forcing 17.7 turnovers per game.