Becky Burke - Head Coach - Women's Basketball Coaches

Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com

Becky Burke

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
ub-womensbasketball@buffalo.edu
Phone:
716-645-7309

Becky Burke is entering her third season at the helm of the Bulls after being named the 13^th head women’s basketball coach in school history on April 6, 2022.

In her second season at the helm of the Bulls, Burke led UB to a 19-win season, a trip to the MAC Championship game and an appearance in the postseason WNIT. The Bulls won 10 games in league play, a seven-win improvement from a season ago which is the highest improvement of any MAC school, while also finishing fourth after being picked eighth in the MAC preseason poll. Under her guidance, Chellia Watson earned Honorable Mention All-America and First Team All-MAC honors while ranking fourth in the nation in scoring and Kirsten Lewis-Williams was named MAC Freshman of the Year and earned All-MAC Honorable Mention recognition. Off the court, Buffalo had two Academic All-District honorees.

In her first season in Buffalo, Burke led the Bulls to a 12-16 overall record. Picked 10^th in the Mid-American Conference preseason coaches poll, the Bulls closed the season strong and finished eighth, earning a spot in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals. Under her guidance, Re’Shawna Stone earned Second Team All-MAC honors and she fostered the growth of Zakiyah Winfield who was the top rebounding guard in the nation and finished in the top 20 in the nation in rebounding and double-doubles. The Bulls ranked in the top half of the league in field goal percentage (.438), three-point field goal percentage (.343), scoring defense (65.1), three-point field goal defense (.315), assists per game (13.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.0).

Burke spent two successful seasons as the head coach of USC Upstate. She took over the program in 2020 and immediately led the Spartans to five Big South Conference victories, their most in four seasons. In just her second year, Burke engineered one of the best turnarounds in the country, leading an Upstate team picked 10^th in the preseason to the No. 3 overall seed and a first-round bye in the 2022 Big South Championship. Her club tied the program's Division I era record for overall wins (22) and conference victories (14) while holding the D1 era's longest winning streak (seven games) as the team made a 14-win improvement from the previous season. Under her guidance, freshman Rachael Rose earned Big South Freshman of the Year honors and Chellia Watson joined Rose as an All-Conference honoree, earning first-team All-Big South accolades. The Spartans finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in field goal percentage.

Prior to taking the reins at Upstate, Burke had an impressive two-year stint at the NCAA DII level as the head coach at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. She brought the Golden Eagles back to national prominence in just her first season at the helm of the program in 2018-19, leading the team to a 25-7 record which was a 12-win improvement from the previous year. The Golden Eagles cracked the national top-25 that season and made their first NCAA Tournament since 2014 while leading the country in field goal percentage and the Mountain East Conference in defensive scoring. Burke coached a pair of first-team all-conference picks which included a DII All-American.

In her second year, the Golden Eagles entered the 2019-20 season as the conference’s preseason No. 2 team and went on to a 23-7 record while once again leading the conference in defensive scoring behind another pair of all-conference picks and the MEC Freshman of the Year.

Prior to her time at Charleston, Burke started the women’s basketball program at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, AZ. in 2015 and went on to be the head coach of the Eagles for two seasons. She led the team to a winning record in its inaugural campaign in 2016-17. In her second season at ERAU, the Eagles ranked nationally in the NAIA top-25 and compiled a 21-6 record, including 11-3 in the California Pacific Conference. Burke recruited and coached three all-conference performers in two seasons at ERAU.

Burke earned a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 30-Under-30 list in 2019. She was the only head coach to appear on the exclusive list.

Before her head coaching career, Burke served as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s College for the 2014-15 season where she was the recruiting coordinator and strength and conditioning coach while also being responsible for player development, scouting, and scheduling. Prior to that, she was the director of basketball operations at California State Fullerton in 2013-14.

Burke had a standout playing career at the University of Louisville where she graduated with a degree in sports management in 2012. In four years as a Cardinal, she helped lead her team to three NCAA Tournament appearances including the championship game in 2009 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2011. She led the Cards in scoring her sophomore year and in 3-point field goal percentage her junior year. She tied a then school record for 3-pointers in a game (8) her senior year and ranks fifth all-time in 3-pointers made (249). Burke is a member of the 1,000-point club and was just the second Cardinal to participate in the State Farm College 3-Point Shoot-Out in 2012, finishing as the runner-up.

A native of Clarks Summit, PA, Burke starred at her hometown high school, Abington Heights. She was named the Pennsylvania Class 4A Player of the Year her senior year by the Associated Press and scored over 2,100 points in her four-year high school career.